A Tale of Two Torrents
by Dixxy Mouri
Summary: Cye and Sara get into an arguement sparked by a game of tag gone wrong. A strange creature chases the two Torrents and Sue Lee into the Dynasty and into the domain of Lord Termini. Rated R for an attempted rape. OBSOLETE but still COMPLETE.
1. Prologue

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Prologue

(Kento)

"The game is simple," said Ria. Wildfire of the Senshi paced back and forth before us (us being me, Keisha, Sara, Cye, Sage, Sam, and Rona), dictating the rules of the game we were going to play. It was hot, school was starting in two days, and we all wanted to enjoy what remained of our freedom. We were all in shorts, sneakers, T-shirts, tank tops, and a string-bikini top in Sara's case.

This would prove to be a BAD IDEA on Sara's part.

"Get to the point, Ria," said Rona.

"The name of the game is. . . 'Tag'. Yes, 'Tag'. We've all played it as small children, but now that we have armors, wings, and other unimaginable powers, it'll get more interesting. Basically, everything outside of armoring up past subarmor goes," said Ria. "Sage can fly and make himself invisible, Kento can predict whoever he thinks will be tagged next, we can all use whatever magic we want that won't destroy Mike's house, ect."

Sara raised her hand. "Why?"

"Battles, as we all know, are FAR from organized. And since we're going to have two people 'It' at the same time, this game will help us react in situations that aren't organized. Understand?" said Ria. Sara and the rest of us nodded. "'It' will be defined by a snap bracelet. You're tagged, then It gives you the bracelet, you put it on, he or she gets ten seconds to get away, and then you take your next victim. Questions?"

We shook our head. Ria snapped one of the bracelets onto her wrist. "Anyone up for the other 'It'?"

Keisha raised her hand. "I'm rarely 'It'."

"That's because no one can catch you, sweetie," I said mockingly. I gave her a kiss. "Now if you just let yourself get caught more often you'd have more fun, my dear." Keisha glared at me as she took the bracelet. She knew I was egging her on. And I fully expected her to retaliate.

"You're gonna get it, Lover Boy," she said.

_That's what you think, _I thought.

_I heard that!_

_Damn it. I forgot about that._

"Everybody. . . GO!" Ria shouted. As I expected, Keisha dove onto me and brought me to the ground before I could react as Ria tried to jump to the top of Mike's house after the air bound Sage. She cursed as the last Flitteree vanished, using his invisibility talent to his advantage.

"Damn," I said, looking up at my captor. Keisha propped her chin into her hands, her elbows digging into my sides. She smiled, kissing my nose. I gave her my best "pathetic, begging, boyfriend" look as I tried to coax her into letting me up. "C'mon, Keisha, let me up so I can get someone else to be 'It'. You got me. I admit it. Now let me up. Please?"

"Why?" she said.

"So we can continue playing," I said. My girlfriend laugh as she sat up. Keisha snapped off her bracelet and slapped it onto my wrist, then took off, grinning to me as I brushed off my pants. I folded my arms and looked at her skeptically. Despite the fact that there was another "It" and several more victims, Keisha and I were now playing a game meant for two and only two. "Thank you, babe. Now it's time for me to try and catch you."

I concentrated on my artificial powers as a shape shifter. In my natural form, I would never be able to catch Keisha. That would happen when Hell froze over, pigs flew, and Rona went two weeks without a new boyfriend. But if I changed into something as fast or faster than her, piece of cake.

So, doing something I never thought I'd do, I changed myself into Keisha.

Sam and Rona exchanged looks, gulped, and screamed before running off. Ria was too busy chasing after Cye, but unfortunately for Cye, he noticed, stopped short, and got tagged. Sara was laughing so hard she had to brace herself up against a tree. Cye took that opportunity to start chasing after her. She yelped and forgot about my temporary identity change.

They all looked like they might be worthy targets, but I had bigger fish to fry. I darted after Keisha, who hadn't noticed my transformation. By the time she did, I had already caught up to her and pinned her to the ground. I changed back into my true form. Keisha laughed lightly. "Truce?"

"No," I said. I sat on her legs and pulled off one of her shoes. Keisha was TRYING to kick me off, but I'm a little heavier than her. Okay, a LOT heavier than her. I stood up, the shoe in hand, and tossed her the bracelet. "You're it!" I then ran off, waving her shoe around triumphantly.

Keisha was visibly upset with me. And verbally as well ("You stupid pig head! GIMME MY SHOE!"). But was I ready to run and hide from her? Nope. I was too busy laughing my butt off to really care. She was going to be a little bit slower if she had only one of her shoes, but I didn't care. She was cute when she was angry,

"EEEEEE!"

Everybody turned to the source of the scream. A surprised Cye was holding Sara's top while the Torrent of the Senshi was using her arms to try and shield her breasts from our eyes. "Eiyp! Cye!" said Sara, looking slightly red at the situation at hand.

Cye laughed, blushing slightly. "Oops. Oh well, at least the others didn't see your breasts."

"Cye, would you give me the stupid top?" asked Sara.

"What, you mean you DON'T want to run around topless?" asked Cye.

Cye learned that this was not the time or place to joke the hard way.

SLAP!

Sara released one of her arms long enough to give Cye a hard whack on the face. My friend had a hand against his cheek, which now had a bright red hand mark on it. "What the hell was that for? Dear God, Sara, I was only kidding about the running around topless comment!"  
"You're a pervert!" she shrieked.

Cye was rubbing his face, her eyes dangerously narrowed. "Well you're a little bitch who can't take a joke!" He threw the bra at her. "Take your damned bra, Sara I don't care!" The two gave each other dangerous looks before Sara snatched her top and went behind a bush to put it back on and Cye left.

Keisha walked up to me and gently took the shoe from me. She had a slightly pained look on her face as she turned her attention to me. "I don't think this is some friendly little fight," she said. "They seemed REALLY mad at each other right there. Think this'll blow over?"

Ria and the others had stopped playing as well. They were all staring kind of dumbly into space, contemplating what had just happened. Once Sara had her top back on, she went inside, presumably call Trevor to get a ride back home. I watched in stunned silence, unsure of what to make of the situation.

Sage sighed heavily. He took a thoughtful pose as he leaned up against the house, his wings beating gently behind him. In a way, it made him look angelic. "Well, hopefully they'll forget this by tomorrow and we can just sit back and laugh about it. I mean, it really WAS kind of funny, when you think about it."

Sam shook her head as she stared at the door Sara had used to enter Mike's house, a worried looked on her face. "I don't know about that, Sage. We've never really seen Sara really mad before unless it's been at the Dynasty. We don't know her well enough to tell if she holds grudges or not."

"That's right," said Rona. "Sara's only been in Boston for a little over a year, now. We just don't know her as well as we could because of that. As for Cye, well, Kento, you and Cye are pretty close, right? What do you know about him and grudges?" All eyes turned to me for an answer.

"Unfortunately, he DOES hold grudges," I said darkly. "I've known him since we were twelve. Heck, he lived with me and my family for what, almost three years? He's almost like a brother to me. I know the guy very well. For some things he'll just let it go, but something like this. . . I feel bad for Sara."

Ria placed her hands on her hips. She didn't seem to think it was going to be a problem from her pose. "Okay, people, this'll all blow over by tomorrow like Sage said and we'll just forget about it. Yes, Cye was wrong to make the topless comment. Sara was wrong by slapping him. They were both wrong and hopefully they're smart enough to figure that out."

"I've got a funny feeling it won't," Keisha said dryly. "If they both want to hold a grudge. . . we could be dealing with this for a while." I nodded in agreement. This could be a long-standing argument. No. Never mind. Scratch that last thought. This WAS going to be a long standing argument.


	2. Chapter One

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter One: It Was An Accident!

(Cye)

After I left Mike's house, I started to walk back to my apartment. I didn't care how far or close it might've been to the group's usual hangout. THERE I was welcome. Apparently I wasn't one hundred percent welcome back with the others. Especially with HER.

It honestly was an accident. I had been 'It', and I had decided to chase after Sara. So I chased her around for a little while. When I closed in on her, she suddenly sprinted ahead of me and instead of tagging her, I grabbed the strap on her bikini top. In response, it came undone and suddenly she was topless and I was holding her bra. I didn't MEAN to pull it off. I knew she must've been embarrassed, but I mean, come on. We're all friends and we should've just laughed it off, given her a shirt, and continued on. I made a joke about it. I figured it I could get her to smile she'd just laugh it off.

But NO. She had to slap me and call me a pervert. Naturally, I was insulted, so I called back at her before we glared at each and left. My cheek still stung from the incident. Just who did she think she was? It was just a joke. A stupid joke. Like I really expected her to run around topless?

I smoldered all the way back home. When I got to the apartment building where Anubis and I shared an apartment, I fumbled with the key to get inside, and continued to keep my pissed-off attitude all the way to the flat I share with my "brother". At the very least he would understand me.

I walked inside and slammed the door shut. Anubis was sitting on the couch, a bowl of popcorn on one side and an Orange Julius in his hand. Images from what I assumed to be some sort of a comedy flashed across the screen of our television. "Hello, Cye," he said nonchalantly. He was lost in movie-induced stupor

"Hello, Anubis," I said in a somewhat depressed tone.

"Something wrong?" My mood had pulled my father out of his trance.

I told him about what had happened during the game. Anubis nodded every so often, continuing to slurp up the smoothie type drink he'd grown to love as he kept his attention focused on me. He offered me some popcorn, but I shook my head and continued to ramble on.

"You know, Cye, it sound to me like you both overreacted."

"No, SHE overreacted. I tried to make a joke to calm the atmosphere and she hit me! Then she went and called me a bloody pervert," I said. "I'm not a pervert. I've seen the others do it. They make a joke when something embarrassing happens, every ones laughs, and we all forget about it."

Anubis shook his head. "Did you say anything to her in return?"

"Yes, I called her a little bitch," I said.

Anubis shook his head. He then folded his arms and looked at me sternly. "Cye, while it doesn't seem like it, you do have a temper. Hell, you somehow inherited my temper despite the fact I never even met you until you were fifteen. It's a dangerous temper that concentrates itself on one thing and here we see it's concentrated on Sara. But aside from that, you should never say that to a lady."

"Who said I was talking to a lady?"

My father raised an eyebrow at me with a sort of disappointed look on his face I hadn't seen before. "I think the two of you just need some time to cool off, then I'm sure you'll be back to normal. Then you can apologize to her about what happened and the two of you can move on."

"What the hell should I do that for!" I said. "SHE was the-"

"Would you stop blaming her for one second!" said Anubis. He put down his drink and walked over to me, putting his hands on his shoulders. "From what I know about women in this part of the world, they don't like to show off their bare breasts unless they're in private company, pornography, or in strip clubs. Cye, she was probably humiliated and whatever joke it was that you used probably upset her."

"But she hit me," I said, rubbing the still somewhat sore cheek.

"Well, you did humiliate her. Put it in this perspective- how would you fell if the roles were reversed? You were wearing a pair of swimming trunks, she was chasing you, and she grabbed your swimming trunks, fell down, and brought the shorts with her so the whole world could see what makes you a male. Would YOU say some harsh words?" he asked.

"Yes, yes I would, but I wouldn't hit her and call her a pervert! More than likely I'd just run into a bush and hide for a few hours while Kento and Sage tried to coax me out," I said. Heh, that actually is a pretty accurate description of what would happen in that scenario.

"See? You both embarrass easily."

"But I don't HIT people for a reason like THAT!" I said, throwing my hands up. I sighed heavily. "Just, leave me alone, Anubis. I need some time by myself to think this through." I picked my keys back up and started for the door. Anubis looked at me in mild shock. I normally didn't behave like this.

I normally wasn't this upset.

"Cye, where are you-" he started.

"Out."

I loitered around Boston Common for a while, watching the swan boats go by on the pond. Boston was a nice city. Different from what I was used to in England and Japan, but I liked it. I was still homesick like crazy, but I had to let those feelings pass. We'd sent the letter to Ryo and Rowen, after all. Soon, they'd receive the letter and know we were still amongst the living.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the dike's friend."

I sighed heavily. "Go away, you vulture."

Sheila didn't like my nickname. Sheila McConner was a bully who liked to harass the Senshi. You know, those popular girls every school has. The ones who tease anyone who they feel is inferior to them, wears a ton of make-up, has crap for brains, and has done drugs and/or been with five plus guys. Sheila gives me the creeps for some reason, though Kento and the others seem to use her as the butt of their jokes ("Sheila took a stick off a potato because she thought it was a neat name tag for herself." "Why?" "It said 'Idaho'.").

Sheila sat next to me and crossed her legs, making sure that she and I were making as much body contact as it was legal to do in public, leaving me squished between her and the park bench. She turned to me, her heavily done-up eyelids batting at me. I wanted to gag. Obviously, she could see the disgust in my face and pouted. "What did I ever do to you, Cye?"

"Nothing, yet, but it's obvious you're cruel to my friends," I said. I stood up and folded my arms, looking at the redhead straight on. "Where do you get off calling Ria a lesbian?" A few weeks earlier, we'd found the Wildfire of the Senshi feeling sorry for herself surrounded by a few cartons of various food items from the Quincy Market food court. She'd gotten that way because of something that the slut had said.

"Because she IS! She dresses, acts, and talks like a dike, so she IS a dike! She hasn't gone out with a guy yet, so I'm just waiting for her and Thomas to hook up," said Sheila. She flicked some of her hair back, sending some of her hair spray my way. I gagged on it. "I think it's obvious."

"Thomas? I thought you thought she was a lesbian," I said, confused.

"I mean Samantha Thomas. You know, the dumb oaf with the Australian accent?" she said. "You KNOW that SHE'S probably a lesbian because she flat out HATES men with a burning passion. Has no attraction to them what so ever. I'm telling you, Santana, Lewis, and Narrlobi are probably all going to get hit on because of their choice in friends."

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Sheila. "Sam is NOT a lesbian, either. In fact, she went out with Sage a few days ago and she wants to start pursuing normal teenage relationships," I said. I clenched my fist. "What the hell makes you think that just because you're part of the popular crowd you get to boss everyone around!"

Sheila blinked, then grinned. "Gee, Cye, I didn't know you felt that way. I was-"

"Don't even try to sweet talk me, Sheila, so go away. Everything Kento said to you the day that we met I back up one hundred percent. I've seen you tromping around Boston like you own the city. Guess what? You don't. And don't think you'll EVER get a piece of me- I have no idea what diseases you're carrying," I said, turning away from the much hated female.

Sheila growled. She was obviously still not used to being turned down and this proved it. The town bicycle slammed her foot into the ground and stomped away in a huff. I grinned, pleased with myself. Maybe Kento wasn't the only one with a talent for blowing Sheila off.

I went home shortly afterward, finding my father gone. Fine by me- I still kind of felt like being alone anyways. Somehow, the idea of hanging out with anyone else seemed to distress me. So I opted to grab a bag of Doritos and headed into my room to read for a while.

I sat on my bed, kicked my shoes and socks off, and curled up on the bed, opening up a book. For the next few hours, I was quietly reading my book. I moved only to turn a page or shift slightly if I started to feel a cramp. But other than that, I was completely absorbed by my reading material.

Just as I finished the book, I heard a knock on the door. "Hello?"

Anubis cursed outside the door. "How long have you been in there?" he asked.

I looked at the clock and estimated the time in my head. I was surprised to see how late it was, but the moon outside of my window confirmed the late time. "I dunno, three or four hours?"

Anubis opened the door and stepped inside. "Doing what for three of four hours?"

"Reading," I said. I sat up as my father sat down. "Why are you asking?"

"I didn't hear you. I thought you were still out or something had happened and. . . oh, never mind, you were safe at home," he said, giving me a hug. I only slightly returned the hug, still upset over what had happened between me and my partner in arms. "You know I worry about you."  
"Anubis, I'm the Child of Destiny," I said. "I can take just about anything."

"That won't stop me from worrying about you," said Anubis, crossing his legs and folding his arms. "You're still my son, and as your father I will be concerned about you. I missed out on almost seventeen years of your life and I sure as hell plan on making up for that."

I laughed. "You should've knocked earlier," I said. "You know I'm quiet."

"You do have a point. Must've inherited the quietness from your mother since I'm not quiet," he said. He lightly punched my shoulder, giving me a wide, fatherly smile. Something I had spent my whole life wanting to see. "So, do you want to order pizza or do you want to cook? If you say the former, I'll pay."

"Pizza," I said dryly. "I don't feel like cooking."

Anubis frowned, putting the back on his hand against my forehead. I pulled myself away, which only caused my father's worry to increase. "Now, I'm not asking this because I want you to cook, but, are you all right? Normally you don't get this. . . sulky when you say that you don't feel like cooking."

"No," I said. I sighed heavily, frowning. "I went to the park and ran into Sheila McConner."

"The one that Kento calls the two-dollar slut and calls Ria a lesbian?" asked Anubis.

"Yup. Same one," I said. "After trashing out Ria and Sam, I think she tried hitting on me. While if it were any other girl I might be flattered, but. . . Sheila gives me the creeps. She seems like she'd do ANYTHING for a cheap lay. She's probably got herpes or AIDS or something."

"Ah, so that's why she's the two-dollar-slut," said Anubis.

I blinked. "Do you have something with the phrase 'two-dollar-slut'?" I asked.

Anubis laughed at the comment. "No, just thinking aloud that last time. I apologize. Now, aside from your run-in with little Miss I-Did-Every-Man-In-Boston-And-The-Surrounding-Towns, did you get a chance to think about what happened this afternoon with Sara?"

I growled. "You mean with HER?"  
"Don't blame me for trying-"

"IT WAS A BLOODY ACCIDENT!" I said.

"Calm down!" said Anubis. Then he settled back down. "Now, I want you to go up to Sara tomorrow and tell her that you're very sorry about what happened. If that doesn't work, beg for forgiveness. But don't you forgive her- that's putting the blame on her. Women hate that."

"I'm not sacrificing my dignity for so SHE can FORGIVE me!" I said. I stood up. "It was SARA who wigged out. IT was SARA who couldn't take a joke! It was SARA who shouldn't have slapped me. It was SARA who got carried away with the whole damned thing!"

"I'd say you're getting pretty darn carried away!" said Anubis.

"Well, that's just fine, now isn't it?" I said. I stormed out of my room and locked myself in the bathroom. Anubis yelled at me to come out for a few minutes, but I didn't answer him. He told me I was grounded if I didn't come out, but did I move? No. I didn't care if I was grounded! I was pissed off and I didn't feel like talking. He couldn't make me, so he could ground me all he wanted. I didn't care.


	3. Chapter Two

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Two: It Was His Fault!

(Sara)

I felt a lot better once I called Trevor to come pick me up. I was getting AWAY from there. I was going to go home so I could bitch to my stuffed animals and ventilate. Stuffed animals don't try to tell you that you're wrong- they just sit and stare at you. I needed that pretty badly at that point.

"Sara, are you all right?" I turned to see Keisha was coming inside.

"Keisha, please, just leave me alone," I said. I faced away from her. I was embarrassed. For crying out loud, Cye or one of the other boys could've seen my boobs! Yeah, maybe I'd not the most modest person in the world (Yeah, I WAS wearing a string bikini top, but it was hot and it was the only one I had that wasn't in the wash!), but even I have to draw the line somewhere.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"No," I said. "What do you think?"

Keisha sighed heavily. "Sara, you're acting like a three year old!"

I stood up. "Just leave me alone, Keisha. I don't fell like talking about it," I said as I walked out the front door. I slammed it behind me, making sure she got the message. I didn't want to talk to her or any of the others. The slam of the door would let the others know how I felt as well.

It worked, since I saw no one some around front for the ten, maybe twenty minutes it took for Trevor to pull up. I soon saw my older brother's car pull up. I walked over to the stopped car, where my part time saint and full time tormentor stuck his head out of the window. "Hey, Sara," he said. "Why are you leaving early?"

"I wish to not discuss it," I said, walking around to the other side. I opened the door, got in, and closed the door. I buckled in and waited for Trevor to drive off. My brother looked at me in awed stupor, his large, green eyes blinking at me in confusion. "Yes?" I asked.

"Man, they must've really pissed you off," he said as we started to drive. "What happened?"

"I told you-"

"If you don't tell me what happened then I'll show your friends baby pictures," he said.

"I hate you," I said. I then told him about what happened.

"He WHAT?" said Trevor, somehow managing to not crash us into a tree.

"He grabbed the string on my bikini top and it came undone! Everyone could've seen my breasts!"

Trevor coughed. "Isn't it just a LITTLE bit possible he was just trying to tag you?" he said.

I gave him The Look. "He followed it up by saying 'What, you don't want to run around topless'? What does he think I am, some kind of a floozy? No, Trevor, he was being a complete jerk, even in comparison to YOU. And you KNOW how Emily and I feel about you sometimes, Trevor Nathaniel Lewis." He immediately shut up and turned the radio on. We listened to an alternative station the remainder of the ride home.

When we got home, I immediately went into my room. Once there, I grabbed a real bra, a real T-shirt, and put them on. I sighed heavily as I plopped down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. After a few minutes, I sat back up and turned to the creatures who wouldn't judge me, tell me I was wrong, or even SAY anything.

Maybe I am a Ronin Senshi, and maybe I have destroyed Tin Cans and tried to kill Trulpa and the Warladies, I still try to hold onto what little innocence I have. I wear braids a lot, for one, and collect stuffed animals. They all live on my bed. There's even a schedule for who gets to stay on the bed when I have to go to bed.

Sometimes, they are my best friends.

I sat down on the bed. "Today, the boy whom I THOUGHT I had a crush on decided to be a complete and total jerk and snapped this," I said, holding up the bikini top for effect, "off of my top. I was completely exposed! Can you believe that? THEN he had the NERVE to ask if I wanted to run around TOP-LESS!"

The answer I received was several blank stares from a pile of stuffed bears, cats, dogs, a whale, a porcupine, two giraffes, a mouse, a pink guinea pig, a purple monkey, three zebras, and moose. This was only different for bunny I had whose eyes had been ripped out by Trevor when I was little.

"From this day until he decides to beg for forgiveness, then Cye Mouri and I are sworn enemies," I said. "You here that? Sworn enemies! I won't talk to him, I won't be nice to him, and I certainly will not work with him! He's a cold hearted jerk and I don't want anything to do with him!"

"Why's that?"

I turned to see my little sister had decided to come in. "Emily. . . you have to stop coming into my room unannounced one of these days," I said. "ESPECIALLY when I'm pissed and I'm talking to my animals about it. You know how I feel about meetings with my animals."

"You sound especially mad with Cye. What did he do to you?" asked Emily.

I explained the whole story to her. "I feel. . . violated."

"Well, it WAS an accident, and I think he was just trying to get attention off the fact you were topless with a joke. It wasn't a very good one, but he was probably just trying to save your dignity," she said. "Cye isn't a bad guy at all. He's really a sweetie, just like Anubis is."

"But couldn't he have chosen something BETTER to say?" I asked.

"You shouldn't let it get to you like this," said Emily.

"Well. . . once he apologizes SINCERELY, MAYBE I'll forgive him."

"That's the spirit!"

A few days passed. I didn't talk to any of the other Ronins or Anubis, especially not the other two Ronin Warriors. Sage and Kento were probably going to stick up for HIM and it looked like Keisha was on HIS side as well. Ria, Rona, and Sam were questionable, but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions.

Evan carpooled Keisha, Trevor, Ria, and me to the first day of school. I was going to be a sophomore with Ria and Sam, while the rest of the Ronins were going to be juniors. There was an eerie silence between me and Keisha, and Ria seemed too frightened to interject. That was RARE for our loud-mouthed leader.

I grabbed my backpack out of the trunk and looked around. I saw HIM, Sage, Kento, Rona, and Sam all hanging out by the main entrance. Obviously the entrance bell hadn't rung yet. I avoided my normal group and hung out by myself near a bush. I didn't want to deal with HIM.

"Hey! Lemme go!"

I looked over to see Kento had grabbed HIM by the wrist and was dragging HIM over to where I stood. I turned my back to THEM and stuck my nose in the air. Kento grunted in aggravation while HIM continued to protest. I didn't move. "It's not going to work, Kento," I warned him.

Kento spun me around so I was facing that BOY. He then stood between us, his finger shaking as if he were a father lecturing his children. "Now, Cye, Sara, I'm going to give you until the count of ten to apologize, forgive, and forget what happened. One. . . two. . . three. . .-"

BRING!

Saved by the bell!

For the first few classes of the day, I got the usual boring orientations with the homework surveys asking what you expect to get out of the class and all that stuff. I noted that Sam was in my English and math classes and Ria in PE and science. People to pair up with for projects. So far, so good.

It wasn't until lunch that the trouble started.

I decided that I was going to sit with the other girls and maybe chase HIM off before he could sit down. Having my lunch pre-made gave me that advantage, so when I saw Rona seated at our normal table, I rushed over to sit with her. She looked over at me and smiled, waving cheerily. Then, her eyes widened in shock. I turned my head and gasped.

SMACK!

I crashed right into HIM. Our lunches flew into the air, Tupperware containers of potato salad and macaroni and cheese flying high into the air, some of it sticking to the walls. The two of us skidded along the cafeteria floor until we both smacked into a wall. The normal chattering sound of the cafeteria was silenced as everyone turned to see this new spectacle. NO one spoke. All eyes were on us.

I growled at HIM. "You klutz!" I said. "Watch where you're going!"

"I was trying to sit with my friends when you went bolting in out of nowhere," he said, standing up as he brushed himself off. He glared at me, placing his hands on his hips as he stared me down. He removed one hand to point an accusing finger at me. "YOU crashed into me!"

I snorted. "Yeah, yeah, you pervert."

"Shut up, you dumb bitch!" he said.

One of the teachers came over to see what the commotion was about. "What is going on here!"

"He slammed into me!"

"She was running in doors!"

"Was not!"

"Yeah, you were!"

"You should've watched where you were going!"

"ALL RIGHT!" the teacher screamed. Both of us silenced, turning to the adult. She grabbed us both roughly by the shoulders. I cried out from the roughness, but the stern look she gave me shut me up (especially where she shoved her face right into mine- it stunk doubly because of her nasty breath). "You can settle this in Principle Wimbly's office. MARCH!"

I turned to HIM. "This is your fault!"

"My fault? YOU'RE the one who ran into me!"

"I SAID MOVE!" Both of us jumped before she grabbed us again and began to escort us to the office. Everyone watched us leave the cafeteria, then went back to normal. I glanced over my shoulder to see the other Ronins were staring at us in mild shock, embarrassment, and disappointment.

"I swear, I'm going to have your head for this!" I hissed as we rounded a corner.

"Well you're the one who jumps to conclusions!" he hissed back, looking rather ticked off. Well, I couldn't blame him there. We WERE going to the principal's office, and both of us knew how much of a stubborn pig-head Mr. Wimbly was. It was HIS fault, but he could still be mad about it.

"You have no one to thank but yourself!" I said.

"Both of you be quiet!" barked the teacher, short brown hair bouncing lightly on her shoulders. She turned to HIM, a look of disappointment on her face. "Mr. Mouri, I'm surprised at you. You were so well behaved in my class this morning. Why the sudden change of attitude?"

"Oh, well looks are deceiving, because HE'S a perverted little monkey!" I said.

"And you're an anal little prima donna!"

"Why I ought-a-"

"QUIET!" she screamed. We reached the office and she pushed the door open, getting the attention of one of the secretaries. She turned to old Mrs. Johnson, a graying old lady who usually kept candy on her desk for well-behaved students. Today, HE and I weren't getting any lollipops, that was for sure. "Is the principle busy?"

"No," she said.

"Good," said the teacher. "I'm going in."

"All right. Go right in."

HE and I got a weeks worth of detentions for our little fight. Unfair? Maybe. But Mr. Wimbly's pretty strict, so I wasn't too surprised with my punishment. We HAD caused a scene (and coincidentally, a pretty nasty mess for the janitors to clean up), so maybe we deserved it.

But did it make me forgive HIM? Nope. Not at all. He was going to have to get on his knees and beg for my forgiveness. And probably bribe me, too. I like the EXPENSIVE chocolates that cost you like, fifty dollars a box (I had those once at a wedding- they were good).

It was going a lot for him to get MY forgiveness. . .


	4. Chapter Three

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Three: The. . . Uh. . . Butt Monster?

(Cye)

After serving my first detention on the third day of school (they didn't have detention assignments for the first few days of school), I started to head home. I was, after all, grounded. I'd spent my punishment at home cooking and doing extra chores, Anubis was still upset with me, and my being stuck at home was putting me in a rather bad mood.

Either way, I had decided to take the scenic route on my walk home. Besides, I had to stop and get a few supplies for school. I was two notebooks and a package of colored pencils short, and since I had a LITTLE bit of money in my pocket, I decided that I'd better get them. Meaning I had an excuse to take a little detour. So I took a short detour into the super market and bought some outrageously priced school supplies (Five dollars for one bloody notebook?) along with a soda and a bag of potato chips.

From there, it was just over a half a mile to get home. So, taking the occasional drink from my soda and adjustment of my bag placement, I had a roughly uneventful walk home. Cars moved slowly by as the natives swore at each other. Vendors sold hot dogs. Pedestrians passed me by, not taking much notice of me.

For a while.

"Cye?"

I looked around, wondering who'd called my name. It's not like there's a lot of people name "Cye" running around Boston. It's an unusual name, even in my native home of England. I didn't see anyone! "Huh?" I asked. This was confusing. Now voices were taking to me out of no where?  
"Down here!"

I directed my attention to the source of the call and saw Sue Lee smiling brightly at me, purple hair in puffy pigtails and pink backpack over both of her shoulders. "Oh, hello, Sue Lee- Sue Lee! You must be at least a mile away from home right now! Why are you here?"

"Where have you been? You haven't come over to see me or Sage or Kento-"

"I'm grounded," I said. "What are you doing in this part of town?"

Sue Lee sniffed, looking upset. I knelt down to look at her face to face. I gave her a smile and she brightened slightly. "A really mean girl at school said she was going to go to my house and then she was going to beat me up," she said. "I went to hide. I don't want to get beaten up, Cye!"

I sighed heavily. "Sue Lee, Boston is a big city. There are. . . sick people living here. You'd be better off going home. Think about it. An ex-Warlady lives there as well as two very well trained Ronin Warriors, one of whom can shape-shift and see into the future, and the other one is a Flitteree who can make himself invisible."

Sue Lee looked up at me. "Will Kento and Sage beat up the girl?"

I bit my lip. "Probably not, but I'm sure that Kento wouldn't mind shifting into a wolf or something to give her a scare," I said. I stuffed my supplies into my bag. Sue Lee giggled at my previous comment. "C'mon, let's get you home." I extended my hand to her and the small girl took it. I started to lead her in the general direction of Mike's house, listening to her babble on about her day. Mostly, her third grade class had been reading "chapter books" and playing games to get to know each other.

I was so busy listening to an amusing story about one poor boy's incident with the class pet gerbil that I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. "So then Mickey wouldn't-" she stopped short as I kept going. She pointed straight ahead of her. "Cye, watch out! You're going to-"

CRASH!"

"Hey, watch where you're- YOU!" I shook my head, dusted myself free of street debris, and gave Sara a dirty look. We'd gone into a neighborhood close to Sara's, so I shouldn't have been overly surprised by her sudden appearance. "What are YOU doing with Sue Lee?"

"Some girl threatened to beat her up while she was at school, so she tried to 'hide' in a rough part of town," I said. "Is that a crime? This is a big city. Who knows what kind of sick-bastards are running out just waiting to find a little girl like Sue Lee all alone on the streets? I was just taking her home where she'll be safe."

"Who's home?" she said.

I growled. "I would never-"

"Grrrrr. . ."

Sue Lee froze. She pointed at an alleyway, teeth chattering and her knees shaking. Sara and I stopped quarreling long enough to give our young friend an inquisitive look. She looked up at us, her eyes filled with fear. "C, Cye, Sa, Sara, wha, what was th, that s, sound?"

"It was just a dog, Sue Lee," said Sara, smiling at the younger girl. She then turned back to me, her nasty argument face back and ready to bicker (though at the time the term "bitch" came to mind). "Cye, you should've called Mike or Cara and had then come pick her up-"

"Grrrrr. . ."

"Cye. . . Sara. . . that sounds too big to be a doggy," said Sue Lee, tugging on my shirt. I sighed heavily and volunteered to look in the alleyway. Some dog was probably just having a big of a stomach problem and needed to see the veterinarian or something along those lines. So I walked into the alleyway.

Well, I TRIED to walk into the alleyway. SOMETHING was in the way.

My eyes widened as I stood face to face with a very large grey wolf creature. It saw me, bore its teeth (which were all about the size of pencils and looked about as sharp as a meat clever), and licked its chops. Large, red eyes twinkled at me, a two red scars going through its right eye. "Um, that's. . . not. . . a. . . dog. . . RUN!"

Sara and Sue Lee didn't need a second order before they tore off down the street. I tore off after then, looking over my shoulder to observe the creature a little better as I ran, nearly tripping over my feet twice. Normally, had it just been a giant dog, I wouldn't have minded. But no. What I saw surprised me.

The creature was mostly covered with matted gray fur, red scales covering its stomach. Its long, front legs ended in three toes a piece, each with a talon bigger than its yellowing teeth. A long tail whipped behind it, a long blade glistening in the sun threateningly, leaving me with no doubt it could swiftly go through my neck like a hot knife through butter.

The strange thing about it was the way it moved. The creature, whatever it was, had no hind legs. It would gallop on its front legs and bounce along on its. . . butt, I guess. As it barked, it made a strange, squeaky noise every time its bottom hit the pavement, seeming to give it the speed of a bouncing ball.

"What is that thing?" Sara asked, our argument temporarily forgotten.

"How should I know!" I asked. "It's some sort of a-"

"BUTT MONSTER!" Sue Lee cried.

Okay, we'd given the monster a "name". Unfortunately, that didn't help us.

"Where do we go!" I asked, leaping over a trashcan.

"The harbor! We can loose it in the water!" said Sara. She swerved away seconds before hitting a lamp post, then cleared a bench before crashing into a garbage can. She recovered quickly, and started to scramble again. "I don't think that thing likes water for some reason!"

"But what about Sue Lee!" I asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it! If you value your life, grab Sue Lee and follow me!" said Sara, taking the lead. Seeing as there really wasn't any room for an argument (how can you argue when a butt monster is on your tail?) I scooped Sue Lee up and started to follow my partner in arms.

Ten minutes later, I was barely breathing, but we'd made it to the harbor. I put Sue Lee down and fell to my knees clutching my chest. Sara was leaning up against a boat house, her deep blue hair drenched with sweat. "pant I pant think pant we pant lost pant it pant," Sara wheezed.

I nodded. Sue Lee stood up and walked around a little, looking at the boat houses. "Where are we?"  
"The harbor," said Sara. She straightened herself and started to smooth her blue hair out. She looked around, trying to spot the creature again. "I say we head straight to Cye and Anubis' apartment and ask the monk what the hell that THING was. It's GOT to be a Dynasty creature."

"Agreed," I said. Then, I narrowed my eyes as I realized something. "Hey, you know what, Sara? Ever since that monster attacked, we haven't argued one bit. We've just. . . worked together." _Fascinating. Amazing what you can do when you've got something that dangerous looking after your life._

Sara blinked, then glowered. "I STILL haven't forgiven you, Cye Mouri! You're not getting off just because some stupid ass-hopping wolf chased us half way across the city!" she said. "You're a perverted little jackass with a dirty mind and no consideration for others!"

Sue Lee whimpered. "Why are you two fighting?" she cried out. "You're friends!"

"I'm not being friends with THAT son of a-"

"GRRR!"

"Damn it, I think our new friend had found us," I said. Sure enough, the butt monster was a few feet away, growling at us as its fur stood on end. It still looked hungry, eyeing me with ravenous eyes as drool seemed to come out of its mouth like a waterfall of some sort.

Sue Lee screamed and panicked, running away. "Sue Lee!" cried Sara, going after the smaller girl as fast as her legs could carry her. Deciding that I didn't want either one of them to get into trouble, I followed them. Argument or not, Sara was my partner in arms and I had to protect her. And Sue Lee. . . she was just a little girl!

The beast followed me as I followed Sara and Sue Lee, all the while that stupid squeaky noise coming from its butt each time it hit the ground. While I ran, I briefly wondered why such a creature existed- it was so stupid! A monster forced to hop along on its butt?

As luck would have it, Sue Lee managed to get herself cornered in a dead end, which was an alleyway between two boathouses and a large pile of crates. I skidded to a stop before both girls, Sue Lee crying hysterically in Sara's arms. The blue haired Hawaiian was trying to calm her down. "It's gonna be all right," she repeated over and over.

"We've got to get out of here before it finds us!" I said.

Sara looked up, her eyes widening. "Too late! It found us!"

I turned around and made a strange sound in the back of my throat. The creature was there before us, and it had backed us into a dead end. It slowly began to advance on us. Sue Lee cried even louder, wailing that we were all going to die. Even Sara was starting to look scared.

My armor's instincts took over. I threw a hand up and called forth my dagger. Maybe I could try and use it to fight the creature off so that it wouldn't hurt Sue Lee or Sara. It glistened in the sun as I held it out in front of me, trying to scare the beast up. The beast didn't seem to care and continued to advance on us. I backed up little by little until I knocked into Sara and Sue Lee. "Cye!" cried Sara. "What the-"  
"Not now," I said through gritted teeth. "Let me scare this stupid thing off and make sure it doesn't come back. Once we're sure we aren't going to become Puppy Chow, THEN you can chew me out, or do you WANT to be eaten by that stupid creature!"

"You're the one who led it here!"

"I was trying to make sure you two were all right!"

"I was able to take perfectly good care of myself before YOU came along, Cye Mouri!"

"Well excuse me for giving a damn about you and Sue Lee!"

"Leave her out of this!"

"STOP FIGHTING!"  
"GRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!"

Sara grabbed one of my wrists and stared at me, her eyes threatening. "If you think-"

The creature lunged at me, bringing me, Sue Lee, and Sara to the ground. I screamed (along with Sara and Sue Lee) as the monster began to hiss and spit all over me. _Dear God, I'm going to die! _I thought. I tried to turn my head away, gagging from the smell of it's breath.

That was when we heard a strange humming sound, and suddenly, we were gone.


	5. Chapter Four

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Four: A Strange Place

(Sara)

I was still screaming when Cye finally shook my shoulders and Sue Lee told me everything was all right. I stopped screaming long enough to see that the butt monster was going through Cye's backpack. "What's it doing?" I asked, clinging to Cye by pure instinct.  
"I have no idea," said Cye. We watched in interest as the wolf-like creature dragged a bag of potato chips out of Cye's backpack. It sniffed the bag, picked it up, and shook the salty junk food out of the bag. Carefully, the creature lowered its nose, sniffed the chips, and began to lick them.

"I get it!" said Sue Lee, smiling as she started to carefully make her way to the butt monster. It looked up at her, snorted, and went back to eating. "The doggy wanted Cye's backpack because he must have smelled the potato chips! He doesn't want to eat us! He doesn't eat people! He's a nice butt monster!"

"Unless he likes a side of chips with his main course," I said miserably.

"I think we have bigger problems than that monster, now," said Cye. "Take a look around you." I looked around, my eyes widening. Wherever we were, we weren't in Boston, maybe not even the Mortal World anymore. The ground was growing sickly, brown grass. A tall, dead-looking tree stood next to us, Cye leaning against it. The sky was a deep purple hue, giving me the idea that wherever we were, it was late.

"Where are we?"

"The Nether Realm." My partner in arm said it slowly and darkly, his eyes narrowed.

I glared at Cye. "How the hell would you know where we are?" I snapped.

Cye looked up into the sky, suddenly appearing much older than he really was. His voice only grew darker and quieter. "In case you've forgotten, I was held prisoner here for almost a year. I fought Talpa here just over a year ago with the other four Ronin Warriors. Trust me, we're in the Nether Realm."  
I made an "o" with my mouth. I had hit a sensitive spot with Cye. No matter how angry I was at him, or how bad our fight was, it was sort of an unspoken agreement between the Senshi that we should try to avoid conversation about what had happened to Sage, Kento, and Cye while they were in the Nether Realm. Because of Trulpa, there was a chance they would never see their parents, the other Ronin Warriors, or any friends they might've had in Japan ever again. They'd never see their homes again. Yes, Cye was living with his father, but after sixteen years of not knowing ones father must have been awkward, especially when you're suddenly living with him and he hardly looks five years older than you.

Of course, having a mystical armor never meant being normal. . .

I sighed heavily, looking around. There was only one thing I could do in my current place, and I really didn't want to do it. I walked up to Cye and extended my hand. "Truce," I said, "but only until we all get out of this crap hole. Once we get ourselves out of here. . . nothing changes."

Cye looked at me suspiciously, then extended his own hand. We shook firmly, our eyes never leaving the cold stare we shared. "All right. We'll call it a temporary truce. But I'm warning you, Sara. The only reason I'm doing this is for Sue Lee's sake. Got it? This is for HER sake."

"WHY are you calling a truce! WHY were you fighting!" Sue Lee demanded. The two of us looked at her, surprised by her outburst. Her hands were clenched by her sides and her eyes were wide, looking angry. "You two shouldn't be fighting! You're friends! You shouldn't have to call a truce to work together!"

"She hit me!"

"He's a perverted jack-"

"WHY?" she screamed. "Why are you fighting? You're acting like two year olds! Even I can see that and I'M only nine years old! You two are fifteen and sixteen years old! And you're friends! Partners in arms! If anything you guys should be going out like Keisha and Kento or best friends like Sam, Sage, and Rona!"

"We were playing tag as a drill for a battle and he decided to pull off my top," I said.

"It was an accident! I was trying to tag you!" Cye retorted.

"Of course it would be an accident!" I said. "YOU were an accident:"

"What?" he asked, suddenly looking more confused than anything.

"You know damn well you were an accident!" I said. "The only reason you're here is because Anubis and your mother both got drunk the same time at the same place and you know it! You mother had just lost her husband! She didn't need YOU around to complicate the matter! For crying out loud, Cye, you're a bastard and you know it! You're an illegitimate child! You were some unpleasant surprise your mother got one morning after pickle cravings and morning sickness! Don't you see it, Cye? You were a mistake!"

Cye looked at me in disbelief. Then, his eyes beginning to tear, he started to get angry right back at me. "Well, you shouldn't have ever gotten the Torrent of the Senshi! You don't even trust your own friend when he says that something was an accident and when he apologizes for a harsh word or two!" he said. "Our armors are based around three things- killing Nether Spirits, water, and trust. You've got the first two down to a key, but you're a little lacking in the last part." With that, Cye turned on his heels and ran away.

"Hey! I can trust just as good as you can!" I yelled, running away in the other direction.

I ran for a while. I just wanted to get away from Cye as fast as I could. That bastard. That jerk. That cold hearted son of a bitch! I was just as capable of being trustworthy as he was! Where did he get off calling me untrustworthy? I had the trust of the other Senshi, Mike, and Sue Lee-

Sue Lee! Dear God, we'd left her all alone with the butt monster!

"I'm such an idiot!" I said aloud, smacking my forehead. I grabbed my armor orbe out of my pocket and threw it into the air. "I have to get back to her before something bad happens. And there's only one way I can get there fast enough. Torrent of the Senshi, Tai SHIN!"

I watched as my armor orbe reached its maximum height, then begin to fall. The armor orbe fell into my hand, lifeless. I stared at it in shock. Nothing had happened! Why hadn't I transformed? "What gives?" I said. I shook my head. No time for that. I had to get back to Sue Lee. Even if I WAS just using my own power.

Trouble was, I had no idea where I was. And no idea where Sue Lee or even Cye was. I swore and picked a random direction, then started to walk. I was (hopefully) going to run into one or the other. Even running into Cye would be a whole lot better than being alone. He knew more about this place than I did, anyways.

Cye. I thought about what had happened at Mike's house. Ria had just tagged him when Kento transformed into Keisha. I was too busy laughing to try and get away. I was naturally going to be a target. So he chased after me, and then grabbed my bra string. Then he'd make that comment about me running around topless.

I bit my bottom lip. _Cye isn't normally some sort of a pervert,_ I thought to myself. _Was he really just trying to turn a lemon into lemonade? _Suddenly me hitting him didn't seen like such a hot idea. Maybe I shouldn't have said all that stuff about the. . . unusual circumstances surrounding his birth.

I had been a real jerk. I shouldn't have reacted the way I had. Sue Lee and the others were right- I was acting like a two year old. I was a Ronin Senshi, for crying out loud! I'm seen things that most thirty year olds couldn't fathom. I should have been a little more on the mature side than that. Yes, I had a right to be embarrassed, and yes, Cye probably could've picked some less-harsh words, but. . . I didn't handle it correctly. I fell to my hands and knees and began to sob. "I am fortune's fool!" I cried out. I looked up the sky through tear soaked eyes. "What have I done? Ancient One, what made me betray my own partner arms? Why was I such an idiot!"

After several minutes of blubber, I wiped away my tears. I had to do something- anything was better than just sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I was lost in the Nether Realm, as were Cye and Sue Lee. I started to call out for them. "Cye! Sue Lee! CYE! SUE LEE!"  
In the distance, I heard the faint sound of Cye calling my name and Sue Lee's name. _Cye's alive! Thank GOD! _I called in that direction. "CYE! I'M OVER HERE! CYE!" I started to run in that direction. _What if he's hurt or something? I shouldn't have said any of that stuff to him! _"CYE! IT'S ME, SARA!"

Cye must've heard me, since I heard a very faint response. We kept calling out, following each other's voices until I could see a faint spec on the horizon that I hoped was Cye. Sure enough, the rusty haired Child of Destiny was running towards me. _Good, he's all right. _I stopped in just enough time to keep us from crashing into each other. "Hello," he said, hunched over with his hands on his knees as he caught his breath.

"Did. . . you. . . find . . . Sue. . . Lee?" I asked, panting as well. Cye shook his head, his eyes narrowing. I coughed a few times and cleared me throat. "Cye, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hit you. I should've just told you not to make that kind of a comment again. I, I should've never said what I said back there about your parents!"

Cye looked at me with wide eyes. "What?"

"I. . . I should've listened to you. What happened-"

Squeak! Squeak! Squish! "RARGHHHH!"

"Uh oh," said Cye. The two of us turned to see about ten creatures all staring us down. Big gray creatures that looked like wolves. All of them had long, bladed tails. None of them had any hind legs. Butt monsters. All of them snarling and foaming at the mouth. "More of them."

"What do we do?" I asked. "I, I can't armor up!"

"What? You too!"

"That was so not what I wanted to hear," I said. I watched the creatures eyeing us hungrily. "How-"

"I know," said Cye, looking to me with concern in his eyes. He took me by the wrist. "RUN!" He took off like a rocket, dragging me behind him. The butt monsters were not happy and began to take chase. Cye ran full force, pulling the both of us along just ahead of the pack.

"Cye, we can't run forever! We're going to tire out sooner than they are!" I said.

Cye didn't respond. He had to save his breath and his energy on the dead sprint he was in. My feet barely touched the ground as he dragged me along, my body hanging on like a child running with a rag doll. My wrist hurt from his grip, but I realized that loosing the circulation in my hand for a few minutes was probably less painful then what the butt monsters were planning.

_I want out of this place! _I thought to myself, closing my eyes in fear.

SWISH! THWACK! SWISH! THWACK!

Cye stopped as we turned around to see a bunch of men were fighting off the butt monsters with arrows. We watched in awe, me clutching my wrist to try and get the blood flowing again. Cye put his hand on my shoulder almost protectively, unsure of what to think of these men. Eventually, the monsters that hadn't been killed (four of them) ran away, their butts bouncing on the sandy ground.

One of the men turned to us. He was somewhat large and was dressed in renaissance styled clothing as he rode on a somewhat regal looking purple horse. He was with several smaller men in similar, but not nearly as fancy regalia, all on purple horses. "Are you young ones all right?" he asked. He eyed us up and down, then raised an eyebrow. "More Mortal Realm kids?"

Neither of us responded. Trusting someone from the Nether Realm was risky business. How did we know they weren't an ally of Trulpa or a former ally of Talpa who wanted to take revenge on one of Talpa's former enemies? I stared at the man, nervous about what was to happen next. "Well?"

"My name is. . . Calvin, and this is. . . Serena," said Cye quickly. "We aren't sure where we are. Uh. . . where are we?" I tried to hide a smile. Nice going, Cye! The names "Cye" and "Sara" might make someone think "Torrents". Considering that most of the people in the Dynasty didn't like Ronins. . . that was probably a smart move.

"We'll talk at my humble abode. We found a smaller one of your type. Purple hair," said the leader. That had to have been Sue Lee. The man looked us over, scratching his bearded chin. "You have red and blue hair. Since blue and red, when mixed together, create purple. . . is she yours?"

Cye and I exchanged shocked looks. He thought that Cye and I. . .? Very, strange images ran through my head. "No!" I said quickly. "Cy- Calvin and I aren't parents," I said. Cye had turned an interesting shade of red by that point. "But the small one is a friend of ours. Is she all right?"

"Knocked unconscious by a bird that tried to take off with her. We brought her and a satchel of some sort she had with her back home. Come," he said. He snapped his fingers and one solider dismounted his horse, doubling up with another. "Take that horse right there."

Not having much of a choice, Cye and I complied, my partner in arms helping me into the saddle before he saddled up and took the reigns. "Have you ever ridden a horse before?" I asked. Cye nodded, giving me a reassuring smile. He snapped the reigns and we followed the man to his home.


	6. Chapter Five

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Five: Lord Termini's Domain

(Cye)

The ride didn't take too long, but it gave me enough time to think. I wasn't sure if I trusted out "savior" in the full, which isn't a good sign, especially coming from me. Why would a Dynasty lord (presuming he was some type of lord) save a couple of kids from the Mortal Realm when most lords try to DESTROY it? Was he just the black sheep of Dynasty lords or something?

On top of that, something was definitely not right about that man. When he and his men saved us from the pack (group?) of butt-monsters, I had felt something that felt familiar. A bad familiar feeling. But. . . what was it? And, assuming I wasn't imagining it, what was it?

In less than an hour, we reached the man's home. It was a large, mansion like home surrounded by a tall wall. When we got closer, I saw that there was also a moat surrounding the barrier, a few dorsal fins making it seem as if there was something not so nice living in the waters.

The leader of the men raised his hand, causing a drawbridge to lower. He snapped the reins of his horse and all of the purple horses (ours included) went inside. Sara and I looked around to see a training grounds where more men were training with swords and staves, bows and arrows, and battle axes that looked like they could end my life before I could give out a counterattack- physical or magical. Young men and women in brown clothing were offering water and towels to the training men.

"Welcome to my humble abode, Calvin and Serena," he said.

Sara raised her hand. "I'm sorry, but we never caught your name."  
"Lord Radcliffe Termini, my lady," he said, taking his hat off as he bowed slightly forward. He took Sara's hand and kissed the back of it. Sara blushed slightly, and I felt a slight sense of sudden jealousy. He gave her a somewhat toothy grin as he straightened himself. "But please, Lord Termini or just Termini shall do, milady. I welcome you both, Calvin and Serena, as my honored guests."

Sara was still blushing. "No need to bow," she said.

"Ah, but you and your husband are my guests, you see," said Termini.

I raised an eyebrow. He thought Sara and I were married? "Um, sir, you've-"

"I'll have a group lead you to the young girl. To my knowledge, she's in the hospital wing awaiting someone to come pick her up. After that I'll have a servant show you to your room," said Termini, getting off his horse. "I'll see the three of you at dinner tonight."

"But we need to get home before-" Sara started, but by then we were already being ushered inside the great doors. The two of us looked at each other in confusion. This man wasn't going to let us leave anytime soon. But, the question was, why wouldn't he let us leave?

The hallways of Termini's mansion were huge and elegant, lined with fancy decorations that had a definite British touch, making me feel a little at home. The carpet was soft and plush, as creamy white as the walls and ceiling. Sara was looking around in amazement at the sheer size and wealth of the place. She looked at me, questions in her eyes. I didn't say anything- I wasn't sure if she was still mad at me.

And actually, I was kind of hurt by her words about my being a "mistake". I know that the circumstances around my. . . beginning, were all but normal, but, did my parents consider me an accident? Did my mother feel that way about me? Was that why Sae (my older sister) seem to hate me? Did Anubis question himself about my existence?

The servant who had led us down the long hallways brought us to a room and opened the door. A young, brown haired woman dressed in pink was tending to Sue Lee, who was unconscious on the bed. A large, bushy gray pillow of some sort was on the floor by the bed, probably some sort of an extra chair.

The nurse looked up and smiled. She placed the back of her hand to Sue Lee's forehead. "She'll be fine. Poor thing is only sleeping, but she should be awakening very soon, perhaps in the next half-hour." The nurse then stood up to walk out of the room. She closed the door, leaving us alone with Sue Lee.

Sara started to walk over to Sue Lee, looked down at the gray thing, and stopped short. She back herself up against me, staring at the pillow in fear. I placed my hands on her shoulders and placed my head down so she would know I was looking for an answer. "Uh oh," she said.

"Uh oh what?" I asked. Then I got a better look at the "gray pillow". I gasped.

It was a butt monster.

"Mmm. . ."

We both looked over to see Sue Lee stirring. Good, she was all right. She sat up and yawned, slowly opening her large, violet eyes. She stared at the two of us in mild confusion. "Cye? Sara? What. . . where, where are we? Why am I in a bed? How did I get here? What's going on?"

I raised my finger to my lips. "Calvin and Sara, please," I said. I quietly walked over to her bed and sat down at the foot, explaining why we weren't using our real names. Sue Lee nodded, understanding. She looked around and eventually saw the butt monster beside her bed.

"Sue Lee, do you know why that thing is there?" asked Sara.

"He's a nice butt monsters," she said, reaching down to pet him. "He was only hungry, remember?" The butt monster woke up, yawning and stretching. It then laid its furry head on Sue Lee's lap. The scar across its eye told me it was the one that had messed up my backpack earlier that same day. The small girl began to pet his head.

"Are you sure?" asked Sara. She nervously sat next to me, placing herself between me and the strange creature. She then tried petting the wolf-like creature for herself. A strange, almost purring sound emitted from his throat, causing my partner in arms to smile.

"Are you sure it's a boy?" asked Sue Lee.

"I don't know. Why don't we ask someone?" asked Sara.

"Before we worry about our furry. . . friend," I said, "we need to figure out what's going on around here. I don't think I trust Termini. Something about that guy gives me the creeps. His aura is just. . . I can sense something I don't like on it." I bent my head down as I tried to think of what it was.

Sara nodded. "Yeah, he thinks we're MARRIED! Where did he get that idea?"

"Well, we were arguing pretty badly for a while back there, I suppose," I said, scratching my chin. "Kento's parents argued a lot and they had a VERY happy marriage. Heck, my last count was five kids, though Lord knows they've had more since then. Kento is convinced they don't sleep between taking care of children and MAKING new ones."

"Ha, ha," said Sara. She sighed heavily, edging closer to me. She looked down at her lap, where her folded hands were. Sara then looked back up at me, her large pink eyes filled with emotions of what seemed like remorse. "Look, Cye, before we were attacked, I wanted to say something."

"You were attacked!" asked Sue Lee.

"A pack of the butt monsters," I said. I turned to Sara. "Yes?"

"I. . . I'm sorry I got mad at you over the bikini-top thing. I'm sure that any of the others could have just as easily done it. Besides, I shouldn't have ben wearing that in the first place," she said. "And about hitting you. And what I said about you being a mistake. Cye, how you were conceived isn't important. It's what you do once you get here that IS important."

I sighed heavily. "I said some things I shouldn't have said, either. That whole running around topless thing was a very foolish and cruel thing to say. Then to top it all off I swore at you and said you didn't deserve your armor," I said. I held my hand out to her. "I think we both said some foolish things. Friends?"

Sara accepted it. "Friends."

Sue Lee cheered. "Yay! You're friends again!"

I raised a finger to my lips, but I did smile at Sue Lee. She was so sweet, so naïve to the ways of the world. So much like Yuli. Both had unwittingly found themselves involved in an inter-dimensional fight for humanity. "Okay, now that we have THAT settled, there's something else we had to address."

"What?" asked Sara. She, Sue Lee, and the butt-monster leaned towards me.

"Something is obviously up, and we need to find out what it is. Sara, we're going to humor Termini about the marriage thing and play the role. He seems to really like that idea for some reason, and pretending we're married might let us figure out why. Can you do that?" I said.

Sara nodded. "All right. And Sue Lee?"

"Friend," I said. Sue Lee nodded. "Now, what about our. . . friend?"

"He's nice!" said Sue Lee. "He stayed with me sand saved me from another butt monster."

"For himself or for your safety?" I asked. The butt monster growled at me in response. I held up my hand protectively and it backed away. "Hey, calm down there." I looked him over again. "But it seems that they aren't common pets. Like wolves or tigers are unusual pets."

"Ria has a tiger," said Sue Lee.

"As I said, they aren't COMMON pets," I said, laughing. "You don't see people walking their tigers or bringing their wolves to the vet on a regular day basis. I know exactly two people who own tigers as regular old house pets. Yes, Ria is most definitely one of them. The other one is Ryo."

"Ryo?" asked Sue Lee.

"Ryo is the Ronin Warrior's Wildfire," said Sara. She looked at me, visibly asking if she was right. I nodded, confirming what she had said to be true. "Yup, Cye says I'm right. To put it into perspective, think of it this way. I am to Cye what Ria is to Ryo. Sam is Sage what Ria is to Ryo. Understand?"

"Nice analogy," I said. "Let's let him. . . uh. . . her. . . it stay here for a while. If it is on our side, then it could be useful." The monster growled again. "Hey! I don't know if you're a boy butt monster or a girl butt monster! Heck, I don't even know WHAT you are! Give me a break!"

"We can ask someone around here or try and find some sort of a library. You guys are good at stealing restricted books," said Sara. I smiled, remembering one time that Kento, Sage and I had once broken into one of Trulpa's more selective libraries. We'd nearly been shredded by killer books, but we'd somehow escaped with our lives and the spell books connected to Wildfire and Strata (we already had the other three).

"True," I said. "So, let's get situated and find out what's going on around here."

An hour later, Sara and I had been given a room and a change of clothes. The room and the clothes were less than desirable. One bed in the room ("You can take the floor," Sara had so kindly offered), and part of my outfit included a pair of tights. I changed in the bedroom while Sara took the bathroom we'd been provided with.

The outfit was straight out of the renaissance. The shirt was a light blue in color, baggy and striped with embroidered blue thread. The boots were a darker blue and velvet, something that looked very expensive. But the tights were. . . tights. Blue tights, yes, but they were tights. And I didn't want to wear to the tights.

But, since I didn't want to run around in my underwear (or, God forbid, NO UNDERWEAR), I decided it was better than the alternative. Six failed attempts at putting them on by hopping around the room and four runs later, I was able to get into pair of tights number five. I was pleased to find they were more comfortable than they looked. I was just putting on my boots when Sara came out of the bathroom.

"Hi," she said. The dress was a beautiful floor-length pink gown with long sleeves and a low neck that revealed a little more cleavage than she probably would've liked. The bodice was laced with small beads arranged in a floral design. She had tied her hair back, giving her a mature look that I wasn't used to. Sara was usually so care-free and juvenile at times. This was. . . so. . . different.

I stared at her in stunned silence.

"Cal, my darling, you can pick your jaw up off the floor now," she said. She spun around for me, which is when I saw a nice bow at the small of her back. She stood facing me again, the skirt of her dress continued to twirl for a slight bit before settling back into place. "How do I look? Do you like it?"  
I shook my head. "Um, nice. Very, very nice."

"So do you," she said, looking me up and down. "Honestly, I don't know why guys run around in such baggy pants. I think they look much nicer in the tight pairs they wore back in the eighties. Come on, I'm interested in finding out what's going on around here. Let's get to dinner and meet with Termini."

I nodded in agreement, offering an arm to her. "Shall I escort you to dinner, darling?"

"Of course, sugar buns."

"Sugar buns?"

"Humor him."

"Oh, right."


	7. Chapter Six

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Six: Dinner Date

(Sara)

I tried really hard to keep a straight face as "Calvin" escorted me down the hallways of Lord Termini's estate. Cye kept calling me stupid pet names and making lovey-dovey gestures. I didn't know he was such a good actor. I returned a few of them, making up some REALLY stupid pet names.

As we walked towards the dining room, I found myself enjoying the mock-romance Cye and I were putting out. Something about the way he joked brought real smiles to my face. I liked it when he leaned his head towards me so our cheeks brushed ever so lightly. It made me feel safe and happy in this strange place.

When we reached the dining room, I looked around in awe. It was a huge, cathedral like room with paintings of Flitteree and other fantasy-like Dynasty creatures on the ceiling. And it was LONG- there must've been easily room for fifty or sixty people at the table. But only a few places were set at the far end of the table on golden platters with golden flatware.

"Wow," said Cye. "This is incredible."

"Isn't it," I said numbly. The two of us walked to the end of the table and took two seats next to each other, Cye pulling my chair out for me. We sat in silence, Cye looking over the silverware with mild interest while I stared up at the ceiling painting. There really wasn't too much to do for fear of our host coming in while we were discussing something fragile.

After I constructed a pyramid from my own flatware, Lord Termini came in. I quickly took my tower apart and reset my place, glad that I was able to put my table-setting abilities from home economics to good use. I didn't COMPLETELY flunk the food portion of it, after all. Termini didn't seem to care as he took his seat without giving my creation so much as a second glance.

"Hello," said Cye politely.

Termini smiled at Cye. "Ah, I see you found your room all right," he said. He snapped his fingers and several servants ran over, bringing a gigantic roasted pig with them. I was reminded of pig roasts at home in Hawaii when I saw the apple in its mouth. "You do like ham, don't you?"

"I suppose," said Cye, eyeing the swine with interest. I took his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. Cye visibly calmed. Termini cut off one of the legs and put it onto his plate, then offered to serve us. We politely accepted, just as Sue Lee came in, the butt monster at her heels.

Termini raised an eyebrow as he watched the butt monster lay down next to Sue Lee. She giggled, reaching down to pet him. Our host shook his head in amazement. "That Gruff isn't like one I've ever seen in my lifetime. Is he tame? He tried to save the little girl from her attack today."

"We aren't sure," I said, looking down at the creature as well. I looked back up at our host. "He chased us around for a while, but he was only after food in Calvin's backpack." I narrowed my eyes. _He called the butt monster a Gruff. _"Is that what you call him? A Gruff?"

"Yes," said Termini.

"He's nice," said Sue Lee.

"He sure is," said Cye. He carefully began to slice the meat on his plate, seemingly somewhat. . . unsettled about eating from something whose head was still attached. Nervously, he took a piece to his mouth and started to chew. He looked up as he chewed, thinking it over. He then smiled and nodded. "Good. Very good."  
"I'll send your compliments to the chef," said Termini, giving Cye a belly laugh in response. Cye sent me a triumphant grin. I kicked him under the table. Termini didn't notice. He ripped a piece of meat off the leg he had, the hoof in his hand. He chewed and swallowed. "So, have you thought about children yet?"

I was started to get really ticked off at this guy. _I don't mind him thinking we're married, but babies? _"What makes you think Calvin and I are in such as rush to have children?" I said. "First you think that Sue Lee is our daughter, and now this! What is it with you and babies!"

"Sar-Serena, calm down!" Cye said through his teeth.

"Oh, I thought that married couples can't wait to have children," he said.

I was about to tell him just how much of a rush I was in when Cye wisely interjected. That could have gotten UGLY. I may be vertically challenged, but I am one tough cookie (just ask Trevor, he's over six feet tall and I've been able to beat him up on plenty of occasions). "Serena and I are newly weds. We'd like to get settled in with each and spend some time as just a married couple before we start a family."

Termini gave out a belly laugh. "Ah, I see, wise young man. So, how long have you been married?"

"A few-" Cye started, but I wasn't sure he had a good time unit in mind.

"Weeks," I said. Ah yes, weeks. Definitely after the honeymoon, but not long enough into a marriage to consider children. "We've been married for three weeks and he started courting me three years ago." For show, Cye took my hand and smiled. I smiled also. Sue Lee was trying very hard to hold back a giggle. _Ria would be holding back an attempt to stick her finger down her throat._

"Ah, ha," he said. "Then why have you only been married three weeks?"

"Well," I said, "in the Mortal Realm, a courtship lasts anywhere from a year to five, six, seven, eight years, sometimes even ten or more. Then your boyfriend, as we call them, asks you to marry them, usually down on one knee. The bride to be receives an engagement ring and the couple refers to each other as 'their fiancé' before they actually wed."

"Fascinating," he said.

"Speaking of realms, how did we get here, and can you help us-" Cye started.

"Now, now, now, you two just sit back, relax, and enjoy your stay. I insist. You are my guests and I love to entertain people, and I don't get to entertain very often. Why, this dining room hasn't been used in years! I haven't had any guests in a very, very long time, and I just-"

I sighed heavily. "We can stay for another day or so, but we really need to get back to-"

"Thank you!" he said.

"Why are your interrupting them?" asked Sue Lee. She thoughtfully put a square of the finely cut meat into her mouth. She chewed, swallowed, and then threw a piece down to the Gruff. The Gruff yipped, snapping at the tiny bit of food. He ate it happily, probably not used to such fine foods. "It's not polite."

Termini ignored her. The Gruff didn't seem to like that, but it didn't do anything aside from raising its lips to bear its teeth at our host. Sue Lee gave it another piece of meat and the animal ate it happily once again. "Now, Calvin, Serena, what are your interests?"

"Interests? Well, Cy- Calvin likes to cook- I'm a horrible cook myself- and I know he's a bookworm."

Termini raised an eyebrow. "A cook, eh?"

"Yes," said Cye. "Many great chefs in our world are men." We all know THAT'S true. Anubis knows that if Emeril Lagasse is on the television is Cye's. EVEN when he's grounded. No ifs, ands, or butts. The same went for Wolfgang Puck and Two Fat Ladies. You didn't even TRY to change the channel to something else. "Serena, well, she likes. . . a lot of things."

"Like?" asked Termini.

From the look on Cye's face I knew he was drawing a blank. _Draw!_ "I like to draw!" I saved.

"Ah, an artist. What do you draw?" he asked.

"Um. . . stuff," I said. I didn't really draw anything seriously- mostly doodles in the margins of my notebooks in school (I got a detention once for doing a really "flattering" picture of a teacher when he went to see what I was doing). "Mostly stick figures doing violent things to each other. I did a somewhat amusing one involving a can of lighter fluid and this girl I know named Sheila. It ended in an explosion."

Apparently this kind of humor was beyond Termini (and from the looks of it, maybe a little beyond Cye as well, who stared at me as if I'd suddenly grown another head). He stared at me, shook his head, and decided to change the subject. "So, Is there anything the two of you like to do together?"

"Swim," I said.

Termini grinned. "Skinny dipping, I presume?"

"Ew!" said Sue Lee.

"Uh, no," said Cye, blushing. "We don't want to get caught."

Termini roared with laughter. He fell from his chair, then slapped a hand hard onto the table as he pulled himself up again. His face was red and beaming in an almost likable way. "That's rich! 'We don't want to get caught'. BRILLIANT! Cye, you are quite the character."

Cye laughed along with Termini. "Yes, I suppose it was kind of funny."

Termini turned to me. "Do you agree?"

"Well, it's TRUE," I said. "Why would I want someone looking in on something that is strictly a private and sensual affair between myself and my husband. But such matters shouldn't be discussed in mixed company." I looked to Sue Lee, who had a strange look of shock plastered across her face. The Gruff had its head on her shoulder, looking like a concerned puppy.

Cye had a look on his face that agreed (and one that was also red as a cherry). While nothing like that had ever actually happened between us, it still stirred some unsettling feelings between us. Nothing like the fight, but more of a mutual sense of embarrassment.

Termini coughed slightly and stood up, patting his stomach as he let out a mighty belch. "Wonderful meal," he said. He turned to us. "Explore the grounds if you'd wish, but I have a curfew over the castle. You will be notified roughly ten minutes before this time comes."

I nodded. "All right," I said. I pushed my plate away, pleased with the "work" I'd done with it. "Calvin and I will look around for a little while. But we must leave in a few days. There will be people worrying about us. Family, friends, the people who we hold dear."

Termini ignored me and left the room. _Is he deaf or something? Yeah, I don't like it when guests leave either, but there's a difference between loneliness and keeping prisoners! _Cye and I exchanged looks and stood up, beginning to follow his lead. Sue Lee and the Gruff stayed put.

Cye turned to look at them. "Sue Lee, is something wrong?"

"Something that Termini said. . . isn't. . . right. . ." she said. She shook her head. "I'm going to bed." Sue Lee yawned as if on cue, stretching her arms. The Gruff looked at Sue Lee, sniffed the air, and bounced over to me and Cye. "I guess that he wants to be with you."'

"How can you tell it's a he?" I asked.

Sue Lee shrugged, then waved cheerily. "See you tomorrow morning!"

"Okay," I said, smiling at our young friend as a servant took her to her sleeping quarters. My armor told me it was all right to trust the servant to take her someplace safe, so I didn't pursue them. Cye's armor told him the same, so we just left the dining room, the Gruff following us.


	8. Chapter Seven

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Seven: Late Night Musings

(Cye)

As part of our act, Sara and I ended up sharing the bed in "our" room. Sara was to my right, her arms wrapped tightly around her pillow. I couldn't help but watch her sleep like that- with a few exceptions from when I was small, I had never slept with a girl before, and at that, never with a girl who wasn't my mother or my older sister.

I carefully fingered a lock of blue hair that had spilled over onto my pillow. She yawned slightly, mumbling to herself as she repositioned her small form. The cotton nightgown she wore ruffled the sheets slightly, making just a little bit of noise. She was a very quiet sleeper, hardly making any noise aside from the occasional yawn.

Aside from my anxiety over THAT, there were other things on my mind, too. Whatever Termini was up to, which I knew he was up to something, was serious. Sue Lee had been right- the conversation at dinner had seemed funny, but I couldn't recall what it was. Something had rubbed me slightly the wrong way. Our host had slipped out something that he probably didn't want slipped out.

It was obvious he wanted us to stay. Every time we tried to ask to go home, he changed the subject or begged us to stay. Okay, he didn't change the subject- he just plain cut us off. I could understand getting sick of the same people day in and day out, but not letting visitors leave? That was. . . wrong.

My mind went to the conversation. I went over the different points of the conversation, slowly working my way through it numerous times. It seemed so normal now that the hour had passed, but it wouldn't leave me alone. Sue Lee had been right- something was very not right about that conversation.

_Thinking things through isn't my department. God, I wish Rowen was here, he'd have figured it out by now, _I thought. Thinking of my old friend made my stomach drop. Rowen might've been able to think it out, but he wasn't there, and with the ways things were going, it looked like I'd never see him or Ryo or anyone else from my previous life (outside of Kento, Sage, and my father) again.

Well, no. The Senshi, Anubis, and Cara had all helped Sage, Kento, and me put together a nice letter to Ryo and Rowen about what had happened. Pictures, drawings, and anything else that the group wanted to throw in was put into a large manila envelope, which we then sent to Japan. The three of us were apprehensive about it getting lost in the mail, or having it get to the wrong person, or just having them not respond. They were our friends. We were all connected by our armors.

_Get some sleep, Cye old boy, _I thought to myself. _Think it over in the morning after you've gotten some rest. _I rolled over, somewhat agreeing with myself over the matter. I sighed heavily, sticking one hand under my pillow and the other a few inches from my face.

I grimaced as I saw Sara's eyes twitch. She opened two groggy eyes and looked at me in confusion. "Cye?" she asked, sitting up. She blinked and yawned, her eyes still very droopy. I sat up next to her. Like I was going to sleep NOW. "Is something bothering you? You look. . . upset about something."

I nodded. "A little bit of everything," I said. "I'm still worried about Termini."

"And you have every right to be that way," said Sara. "He's a Dynasty lord."

"Exactly," I said. "That man isn't telling us something and it's bugging the hell out of me. Sue Lee even sensed something wrong with the man. Sara, a nine year old girl sensed something wrong. Just try and tell me there isn't something strange about that." I rested my head up against the headboard of the bed. "I can't get over it."

"And you have every right to be upset. He's keeping us prisoner here," said Sara. "The man won't let us LEAVE. Neither one of us can armor up. We've got Sue Lee with us. If it weren't for her we probably would have been able to try something drastic by now, but we can't do that with her. She could get hurt."

"I know how you feel," I said. "The Ronin Warriors feel that way about Yuli. Don't get me wrong, I know that Sage and Kento are both very protective of her- I am, too- but he was actually THERE when we fought our wars. When Toyama was first taken over, a Tin Can nearly killed him. The Dynasty had taken his parents, and. . . we never found them." I looked up at the ceiling. "Throughout the first battle, he never gave up hope that they were alive. But when he realized that there were a lot of people who weren't coming back. . . I don't think he stopped crying for a full day."

Sara was listening intently, waiting for more.

"Not that he was always a burden, mind you," I said. "He saved our lives a few times. Sometimes, when it seemed as if he WAS getting in the way, he was the one who either inspired us to keep fighting or he ended up either using a problem to his advantage. A tractor trailer had exploded on a bridge that Sehkment and I were fighting on, and Ryo had been severely hurt. He had dived into the sea to try and revive me from my armor's resting place- you know about that, right?" I asked. Sara nodded. "The water had worked against his armor and sapped his powers. Plus, he was the only one around. Sage and Mia had gone to revive Kento, and we didn't even have a clue as to where Rowen was. It was just me, Ryo, White Blaze, and Yuli there, and I was getting my butt kicked. When Yuli and White Blaze saw the blaze from the explosion, he dragged Ryo over to it to recharge him. We probably would've lost that battle if it weren't for him."

Sara nodded. "Sue Lee has been our inspiration to keep fighting. She hasn't done anything like Yuli has done, but she's what keeps us going. She reminds us of what it is we're fighting for. She and every other child her age are going to be the future. If we don't fight to save this world, there won't be a future for anything," she said. "That's how I feel, anyways."

I looked at her, trying to decide what to say to such a well-thought statement. This wasn't just something she blurted out just for the sake of blurting something out. This must have been something she thought about often, and it showed in the way her eyes just slightly glistened in the Dynasty moon light. "Is that what we're fighting for?" I finally asked her.

Sara nodded. "I think it is." She gently placed a hand on my cheek. The cheek she'd slapped. Though the sting and the red were both long gone, I can swear that it was like she could still see both. She gently rubbed her hand back and fourth, and I closed my eyes. _That feels. . . relaxing,_ I thought to myself. "Feel any better?"

"A lot, actually," I said.

Sara smiled and leaned in to kiss my forehead. I blushed slightly as her lips brushed against my skin, blinking in surprise, and slightly embarrassed by the action. She had been throwing me some very unusual surprises ever since we'd arrived there, and this was just another item to add to a very long list. In response to me blushing, she laughed. "That's good to know. Now get some sleep already, Cye!"

I nodded. "Good night, Sara," I said.

"G'night."

The following morning, I arose long before Sara. Taking an outfit with me- a deep crimson set similar to the one I'd worn the previous day- I went into the bathroom adjacent to our room and took a shower. That done, I used some magic (I hadn't lost ALL of my powers) to dry myself off. I dressed, and went back into our room to find a groggy looking Sara waiting for use of the bathroom.

Sara looked pretty much worse for wear. Her eyes were somewhat narrow and maybe a little bit puffy. Her hair was a mess and struck out in several directions. She was sitting on the bed, her nightgown riding up so I could see a decent portion of her thighs. She didn't seem to notice and stood up, the skirt falling down to her ankles. She yawned and looked at me in that strange stare that sleepy people always use.

"My you look lovely this morning," I said.

Sara mumbled something incoherent and went into the bathroom. I sat down on the bed, closing my eyes to think. Something was wrong. And it wasn't what Termini had done either. No, this was more. . . different. More recent, even. Someone had just done something that wasn't quite right.

As I heard the shower turn on I knew EXACTLY what was amiss.

"Uh oh," I said, looking at the bathroom door. "She doesn't have a dress in there." I gulped and nervously went to the door. Gathering up all my nerve, I opened it and stuck my head inside, my eyes closed. "You didn't grab a dress before you came in. You want me to get one?"

"CY-CALVIN!" Sara cried from the shower. "Get out of- oh, you've got your eyes closed." She paused, thinking about what I'd pointed out. I can only imagine what her face must've looked like as it dawned on her. "Oops! Um, yeah, would you mind doing that for me?"

"Not a problem," I said. I pulled out of the bathroom and walked over to her wardrobe. I opened the doors and started to look through some of the different dresses. Most of them were the same design as the dress she'd worn the previous day, only varying in colors. I found a nice green one and pulled it out.

Being very careful, I quickly opened the bathroom door and hung it on the inside doorknob. Sara would have to worry about underwear later, because there was NO WAY she'd let me get away with going through panties and bras she was going to end up wearing. Yeah, we'd forgiven each other, but that had only been about, oh, maybe fifteen or sixteen hours earlier. I didn't want to re-spark the argument, especially where we were on some potentially dangerous territory.

I heard a grumbling sound near the foot of the bed. My instincts first told me to panic, but then my mind kicked in and reminded me it was probably just the Gruff. As if on cue, the huge wolf creature stood up, opening its huge mouth to yawn. It looked over at me, yipped his greetings, and lumbered over in search of a good morning pat. I sat down on the bed and the Gruff lowered his head into my lap. I scratched him behind the years, getting a content sigh of happiness from the creature.

"Good to see you two are getting along." I looked up to see Sara standing in the doorway of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body to hide her. . . personal parts. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel and she looked much more awake than she had been. But the fact that she wore only a towel made me nervous.

". . ." was the best answer I could come up with.

"Cat got your tongue?" asked Sara as she went over to the wardrobe. She opened a drawer and started to leaf through was I could only assume to be undergarments. "Really, Cye, don't be so embarrassed. I just shared a bed with you last night. This should be NOTHING. It'll only be an issue if I drop the towel."

I was still stunned. "But you're in a towel!"

"Am I naked?"

"Under the towel you are."

"But with the towel I am NOT naked. You cannot SEE anything GOOD. Got it?"

I sighed heavily. No use arguing with her now. "Got it."


	9. Chapter Eight

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Eight: A Little Bit of Tenderness

(Sara)

The following day, I mostly stayed with Sue Lee and the Gruff (who, according to the nurse from the day before, was a male). Sue Lee and the Gruff were playing tag in a garden outside while I sat and watched idly from a bench placed conveniently next to a goldfish pond. I enjoyed watching Sue Lee play. I'd enjoyed it ever since out first war with Trulpa. I had lost a good deal of innocence then, and I liked to reminisce on what it was like before then.

Before I came to Boston, I knew about drugs and the birds and bees and all, but I didn't usually talk about them. I spent most of my time on the beach with my surfboard, a flower behind my ear. An old man who'd lived next door to us- an old Hawaiian native whose family dated back to the first Hawaiian people- used to garden and preserved a flower for me. I lost the flower the day we moved, which added insult to injury, since I hadn't wanted to move. I had loved my old friends, my old way of life, pig roasts ever Saturday night, and surfing on the weekends.

Boston is so different from Hawaii. I've grown to love Boston, but there are still times that I wish I had the Hawaiian sun, surf, and sand. Now, I swear on occasion (usually just a "damn", "hell", "bitch", or "piss"), have fought a war, and discuss some previously un-kosher topics. No, I'm not the same person I was. I never will be again. I think some of us have noticed it more than others, unless they're able to hide it better.

Sam, for one, was no stranger to loosing her innocence. Her father had taken so much from her. She had some serious emotional problems when we first met her, but things were improving. Still, there are times that one of us will catch her alone and she'll say something really cryptic and creepy.

The boys are pretty bad in that department, too, though I couldn't really blame them. For one, they'd been dealing with it longer. They'd seen the inside of more Dynasty torture chambers than they would've liked. Trulpa had kept them as prisoners- no, slaves- for many months. But I guess I have to admire them because they deal with it. Sage's easy going Flitteree nature does it for him- he's always so happy-go-lucky unless something serious has happened. He doesn't stay mad for very long (unless you do something really stupid, I suppose) and plays games with Sue Lee without question. Any chance he gets you can see Kento making some sort of a move on Keisha, either tickling her after pinning her to the couch or just randomly tossing her over his shoulder. The way he lights up as she's either having a giggle fit or demanding he put her down, it makes me happy to think about it. Even Cye has his own ways of dealing with it. The guy learned his old man was not only still alive but well over four-hundred years old and in the body of a twenty-one year old. . . he tries to joke around and enjoy life as much as he can.

My train of thought was ended abruptly as I felt someone sit next to me. I just about jumped out of my skin, then heard a familiar laughter off to the side. I knew who had done it. I turned to see who it was and nearly slapped Cye for sneaking up on me. "Bastard," I said.

Cye laughed. "I'll assume that was meant playfully," he said.

I cracked a grin as I stood up. "I'll show you 'playfully'," I said. Cye stood up, folding his arms as he looked at me skeptically. The devious little hamsters who live in my devious little head began to run on their devious little hamster wheels as a plan of revenge began to formulate in my head. Oh yes. I knew exactly what I was going to do to him, too. Remember how I said the goldfish pond was placed conveniently next to the bench I was sitting on?

SPLASH!

Now you know why.

Cye looked up at me, sputtering and shaking his head in surprise. He slightly resembled a down rat, his clothing hanging off of him oddly due to the large amount of water. I laughed, extending a hand to help him out. He gladly accepted it, closing his hand around mine. "Sorry," I said.

"Oh, you're going to be."

SPLASH!

Now I was in the goldfish pond, too. I picked a fish out of my hair, letting him swim off with the rest of his school and glared at Cye. My partner in arms and mock husband snickered at me, his eyes glancing towards the little fish. "That was a cheap shot and you know it."

"And yours wasn't?"

I splashed him and pulled myself out of the pond, though it WAS a difficult task with the large skirt of the dress I was wearing. Cye pulled himself out, too, looking for anymore goldfish. We found none, which was good- I didn't want the fish to suffocate because of our "game".

"Serena, you look like a drowned rat," said Cye. "Maybe you should go inside and change."

Looking at my dress, which could have very well been ruined thanks to Cye pulling me into the water, I nodded in agreement. The green fabric had gotten darker, the skirt sticking to my legs. Lace was falling off in different places, several beads hanging on by a single thread. "You're probably right," I said. "I'll go get changed, the when I get back, you go get changed."

"Why?" asked Cye.

"Have you seen YOUR clothes? Because you don't look much better, " I said. The red outfit Cye wore was probably fairly new, since the water that dripped off him was the color of the dye. Cye cringed. "You watch Sue Lee and make sure she stays out of trouble, okay?"

Cye nodded. "See you later." With that, I headed inside of the estate.

Once I got into a new dress, a nice yellow one with short sleeves, I left our room and headed back to the garden so I could watch Sue Lee while Cye got a new outfit as well, though I had a feeling he'd need to take a bath, too. The dye was probably all over his skin by now.

Three minutes into my walk, and heard someone walking behind me. I took no notice, figuring someone was just going the same way I was for a little while. I calmly continued towards the garden, lost in my own thoughts. Had my armor been working right, it probably wouldn't have happened.

"Gotcha!"

I tried to scream as the person behind me covered my mouth with his hand and dragged me down an empty corridor. I tried to cry out, kicking and flailing, but the dress made it difficult to do so. My screams were muffled by my captor's hand, a strong arm around my breasts preventing my escape.

Soon, I felt a slightly poking sound near one of my breasts. I heard the man laughing to himself and I realized what he was doing. I reached a new level of panic and tried even harder to escape as he roughly shoved me into a small room lit by an oil lamp. I cried out when a pile of hay broke my fall, some of the stiffer pieces poking me.

I looked up at me captor, who closed the door behind him. He was a fairly large man, probably an officer in Termini's fleet or some sort of a servant. The man had gray hair, telling me he was older, and his arms and face were lined with some old scars. I tried to stand up, but he pushed me down. "Let me GO!" I screamed, only to have his hand placed back over my mouth. I started to cry, getting scared.

"My, my, pretty lady," he said, chuckling to himself. "Your husband got quite a nice catch, here." Holding my arms down with his hands and my legs with one of his knees, he looked me over with great interest. He bent his head down over my breasts, smelling them. "Very nice."

"Let me go!" The man hoisted me up and took out some twine. He shoved my face down into the straw, which smelled strongly of horse and other barn animals. I cried out as he tied my hands behind my back before flipping me back over. I growled at him in a mix of pure anger and fear.

"I will, but not until I get a taste of what your husband feeds on every night," he said. My eyes widened in fear. I knew what this man wanted to do now and I didn't like it one bit. _Oh dear God, not this, not this! Cye! Help me! _ "Such a pretty young wife. Wouldn't it be a pity if you bore my child instead of his?"

I tried to scream, but he stuffed a rag into my mouth. While I tried to spit it out, he started to rip my dress off piece by piece until I left in my underwear. He giggled insanely to himself, reaching to fondle me again. I tired to pull away as he squeezed my breasts, moaning in pleasure. Tiring of that, he started to reach down to the more tender and private areas of my anatomy.

KA-ZAP!

My captor swore as he flew backwards into the opposite wall. Something had pushed him away from me. Even though I didn't know what had happened, I tried to free myself, only to have him stand up to advance on me again. I wailed from behind my gag, afraid of what he was going to do next.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

I looked up to see Cye staring down my assailant, pure rage in his eyes. My attacker, stunned, ran away despite the fact that Cye was about half his size. Cye watched him go, then turned his attention to me. Tears streamed down my face, Cye gently rubbing them away. "Dear God, Sara," he said.

I sniffled, still trying to spit out the gag. Cye pulled it out and I started to wail hysterically as he untied my hands. Once my hands we free, I threw my arms around his neck and began to cry into his shoulder. Carefully, Cye slipped a hand under my knees and another behind my back, then stood up.

My partner in arms held me close, constantly telling me it was going to be all right. I still cried, starting to choke on my sobs. "Shh. . . you're safe now, Sara. It's all right, it's all right, I won't let him get near you again," he said soothingly as he started to carry me back to the room.

After we got back to the room, Cye sat down to the bed, me in his lap, and let me cry my heart out. For what felt like hours I just let it all come out, soaking his shirt even more than it already was. In return, he just calmly patted my back, rocking me gently in his lap. He gently clutched my hand, squeezing it just enough to comfort me.

I was confused. Why was he comforting me in this way when I'd been so cruel to him? I loosed my grip on his neck and looked up at him through my teary eyes. Cye just looked at me with a look of very deep and somber sympathy that I didn't expect. "Why?" I asked in a soft voice. "Why are you being so nice to me after what happened?"

Cye carefully pushed some hair out of my face. "Because no one deserves what you almost got. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I couldn't let that happen to you," he said. "And besides, we both apologized and forgave each other, remember? We're friends again, right?"

"I still don't understand why you're being so. . . caring."

"You are Sara, Torrent of the Ronin Senshi. I'm Cye of the Torrent. We're partners in arms. We share a title, have almost identical armors, and have just about the exact same range of powers minus my powers from my father. I'm supposed to protect you, and this is what I'm doing. Protecting you," he said.

"Even after-"

"Yes."

Cye put me down, wrapping the blanket from the bed around me. I leaned against him, still longing for comfort. Cye hugged me, still rocking me. I felt him close in to kiss my forehead, whispering words of comfort. Soon, he started to pull away. I clung to him, not wanting him to go. He gave me a reassuring smile. "I'm going to draw you a hot bath, all right? You'll feel better."

I wiped away a few tears. "How did you find me?"

Cye sat down, gently tracing circles on my cheek with the back of his hand. "I just got this sudden feeling of. . . danger, I guess. I told Sue Lee to get to her room and to bring our friend with her. My armor just reacted and told me where to go," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know, that's all," I said. Cye bent down, kissed my forehead again, and stood up. He started to walk towards the bathroom. I looked up at him. He looked over at me and turned to face me. I pulled the blanket tighter, still a wreck over what had happened. "Cye?"

"Yes, Sara?" he asked.

I sat up, holding the blanket tightly around me. "Thank you," I said.

"It's all right," he said calmly. So calm, in an almost motherly fashion. _Well, he was raised by women. . . two women who obviously couldn't keep him away from inappropriate jokes, but still two women._ "We're friends, and friends do that for each other. Even after one of them has been as bitchy as you have these past few days."

I weakly smiled. "I really am sorry-"

"Let's just forget about that already," said Cye, walking back over to me. "Put it behind us. We're friends again and that's all that really matters, right?" I nodded and Cye went into the bathroom to prepare the promised bath while I laid down to take a much needed and much deserved snooze.

An hour later, I was wrinkly as a prune after a nice long bath. I couldn't soak away all of my fears and anxieties, but I did feel a whole lot better. Cye had a good idea when he'd recommended the bath. Being surrounded by my element felt good and was able to let me regain at least some of my composure.

I dried off, then slipped into some night clothes Cye had left for me on the sink. It was pretty much the same thing as the night before, a floor-length long sleeved cotton gown. The gown felt nice and cool against my skin, adding a sense of security and I hugged myself.

I walked out into our room to find Sue Lee and Cye sitting on the bed, the Gruff beside the bed. The large gray beast dragged itself over to me, nuzzling my thigh. I reached down and pet it, feeling happy when I stroked the back of its ears. "Hey there, big guy," I said.

Cye turned to me. "Sue Lee and our friend here are going to be staying in our room tonight. You know why I'm doing this," he said. I nodded, seeing what he was getting at. If there was one sick bastard running around, who knew how many more of them were on the property? "Tomorrow, we're leaving. I don't care what Termini says- it's high time we left."

I sat down. "I agree. I've had just about enough of this place."

Sue Lee had been looking at me with great concern. She sat up and stared at me intently. "Sara, what happened? Cye seemed really worried when he went and got me. What, what happened to you anyways? You look really worried. Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"Something very, very bad happened to her after we started to push each other into that gold fish pond," said Cye. He gave her a tight squeeze, obviously trying to avoid saying right out that I'd nearly been raped. "I just wanted to make sure that it didn't happen to you."

Sue Lee blinked. "How bad?"

"Pretty darn, but Cye found me in time," I said. "It could've gotten MUCH worse."

Cye looked at me. We needed to discuss this after Sue Lee fell asleep.


	10. Chapter Nine

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Nine: Pieces of the Puzzle

(Cye)

Once we were certain that Sue Lee was asleep, Sara began to relay exactly what had happened to her from the time she left the garden to the moment I chased the man out. She paused numerous times in order to keep her composure, each time getting a comforting hand squeeze from me and sometimes and whimper of affection from the Gruff.

"It was weird, though," she said. Despite her mentally reliving the experience, she seemed much better. I gave her a quizzical look- what was she getting at? "When he tried to touch me, you know, down there, something sent him flying into the wall. It was like some sort of a force field."

I blinked. "That's weird," I said.

"Why, though? Was it my armor or what?" she asked.

"The Torrent armors, in a sense, are considered the purest of the armors. Think about it. Water is seen as a healing agent and something used to purify. Yeah, you get the occasional sacred rock or sun shrine, but pure water is very clean. Maybe your armor didn't want you tainted from that," I said.

"No," said Sara, shaking her head. "Two Torrents of the past were both molested by Sehkment and Vanessa according to Anubis. If it was that, then he might've have me by now. Cye, I'm so confused right now. I'm glad that whatever it was that happened occurred, but, I don't like not knowing what it was." She sulked, sighing heavily.

I nervously placed an arm around her shoulder. "We're going to figure this out, all right? We'll be back home soon enough. Tomorrow, I don't care WHAT Termini says, we're going to be going home. And he's NOT skirting around it this time, because we aren't going to let him."

"I agree with you on that. He's-"

Click.

We turned to see Termini had stuck his head inside our room. Sara chucked a pillow at him, an undignified look on her face. Termini blinked in sudden confusion. "How DARE you!" she hissed, careful not to awaken Sue Lee. "You knew we were in here, it is night, and-"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I didn't hear anything aside from conversation and assumed you weren't occupied. One of the nursemaids went to check on Sue Lee and she wasn't in her room. Do either of you have any idea where-" Termini began. I held up my hand. "Yes, Cye?"

"She's in here," I said. Termini's face took on a look of shock. _I could do a better job at lying then you're doing, Termini. You either knew about this or you just don't care._ "Someone, presumably one of your men, tried to rape Serena. I didn't want Sue Lee to be at risk to that so I brought her and the Gruff in here to keep her safe."

Termini raised an eyebrow. "Do you know who it was?"

"No," said Sara. "And now that this has happened, we want to go back to the Mortal-"

"Now, now, now, I will find out who did that and give him the most severe punishment for going near you, Sara, so please relax," he said. "Just enjoy your stay here and don't worry about any more of my servants bothering you. I promise it will not happen again."

"No, I'm NOT relaxing!" she said. "I want to go home!"

Termini ignored her and closed the door, leaving my partner in arms beyond pissed. I could understand her anger. We had a damn good reason to be getting home and he still wasn't letting us get there. The Gruff growled at the door, but made no motion to do anything aside from sound offended.

"Of all the nerve!" said Sara. "He's treating us like prisoners here!"

"I'm beginning to feel that myself," I said, crossing my legs. "Why won't he let us go? If your 'guests' want to leave, you let them leave, and if they need to stay for something, they'll tell you about it whether it be bad weather or helping with the dishes. We ARE prisoners here, Sara, and I don't think he's going to help us out at this point."

"He isn't normal." The two of us saw Sue Lee was up. "Something isn't right about him."

Sara turned to Sue Lee. "Sue Lee, please, get some sleep. We all need it."

"Okay, Sara," she said. "But. . . the weirdness I felt last night came back."

"How long have you been up, anyways?"

"When Sara chucked the pillow at Lord Termini," said Sue Lee. Her eyes narrowed at the statement. We both knew why. She must've heard us discuss the attempted rape. "And then he said that I was missing and then you silenced him, and he said 'Yes, Cye?' and then-"

My eyes widened. Something about what she had said suddenly rung a bell. A bell similar to the one that had been rung the previous night at dinner. _That weird thing is back again!_ "Wait a minute," I said. Sara and Sue Lee looked at me curiously. "Repeat what you just said."

"I said that he said I was missing?" asked Sue Lee, crawling onto the bed.

"After that," I said.

"You silenced him?"

"After that," I said. "Keep going."

"He said 'Yes, Cye?'"

"That's IT!" I said, jumping to my feet and snapping my fingers. Both females in the room jumped as well. The Gruff lifted its head and raised one furry eyeball, as if he were wondering what had come over me. "THAT'S what isn't right about this fellow! Now I get it!"

"What?" asked Sara, staring at me through bewildered eyes. "What's so. . ."

"He knows who you are," said Sue Lee, her eyes widening in realization. "He called you Cye at dinner, too. AND he just called Sara by her name, too." She stood up, turning to Sara. "I heard what happened to you, Sara. But don't worry, Cye's gonna go beat him up."

"So he knows our real names. But WHY?" I asked.

"That's a good question," said Sara. She lowered her eyes, her arms folded. "We've been using Calvin and Serena for most of our stay here, right from when Termini picked us up and you came up with them. He must've picked it up when one of us slipped or something."

"Lets hope he doesn't put two and two together about our names and our powers," I said. "That would be bad, especially where our powers are most likely still limited." I sighed in frustration. "I wish I could armor up. If I could, we would've been out of here already. But, I can't."

"I bet they're better now," said Sue Lee.

Sara looked over at Sue Lee. "Why do you say that?" she asked.

"Because before you ran off, Cye accused you of not being able to trust your own partner in arms. And Sara said some mean stuff about you, Cye. You didn't trust each other. And your virtue is trust. Your armors weren't working because you weren't trusting someone who you're SUPPOSED to trust," said Sue Lee.

"I bet she's right," said Sara. She sighed heavily. "Of all people that I'll ever meet in my life, and all the people I will meet, you're one of the few who I'm supposed to be able to trust unconditionally. And I didn't trust you. Hell, I violated your trust by slapping you like that."

"You should always be able to trust the other Ronins, any allies we have like Anubis and Mike, and most of all, your family outside of Trevor," I said. My Sara laughed at the comment about her brother, but she did make a back-handing motion at me for it.

Sue Lee began to nod enthusiastically. "Cye said that he rescued you, and I think it was probably from that guy who tried to do the bad thing to you. He looked really worried when he got me, and I bet that when Cye rescued you it brought the two of you a lot closer together, am I right?" she said.

I thought about that. When I'd freed Sara, she clung to me immediately, bawling her eyes out. She should've been trying to get away from me (since I was a male, after all, and a male she hadn't been very happy with in recent days), but she instead embraced me. Sara DID trust me again. "I guess that make's sense," I said. "So maybe we can use our armors again. Still, we shouldn't use them. Yet. I still have two unanswered questions, one of which is how Termini knows our real names."

"And why he won't let us leave," said Sara. Actually, that made THREE questions, since I was confused about the force field that protected Sara. I hadn't heard of such a force before, and I'd read through the Torrent spell book cover to cover multiple times.

"Let's all sleep on it," I said after some thought. The girls looked at me in interest. "Tomorrow, I'm confronting Termini man-to-man. If he doesn't let us out peacefully, then we'll have to leave by our OWN means. Even if it means Sara and I have to armor up and storm out."

The following morning, I got up before the girls, though the Gruff was awake and looking out the window. He turned to me, tongue lolling out happily. I smiled weakly at it. "Don't wake the girls up, they can both be dangerous," I whispered. I grabbed my Mortal World outfit, then went into the bathroom to wash and dress, not wanting the girls to wake up to something unpleasant.

I walked out, seeing that Sara and Sue Lee had both awoken, Sara yawning and stretching over by the Gruff while Sue Lee was trying to get back to sleep. "Morning, Cye," she said, yawning. She looked me over. "You're dressed. . . normally. You're not going to Termini right now, are you?"

"Yes. Get dressed and washed up," I said, jerking my thumb towards the bathroom. "If we're lucky we can get home in time to get the rest of our homework done and make school tomorrow. IF we're lucky. But be ready to go, because one way or another we're leaving."

Sara stuck her tongue out. "Homework evil, bad, no homework," she said.

I laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I know, but unless you want to be asking successful people if they want fries with their Whopper, I'd pay attention to your studies," I said. Sara looked ready to chuck a pillow at me, but just smiled and wished me good luck with our "host".

"Be careful," she said. I nodded, turning the doorknob. "Don't do anything too drastic, now."

"I won't," I said, stepping out into the hallway. I closed the door behind me, composed myself, and began to walk to where I thought I might find Termini. As I walked, I thought about what I was going to say. How was I going to confront the man, anyways?

"Ah, Cye, how are you this morning-" I looked up to see our "host" was standing before me, a confused look in his eyes as he noticed what I was wearing. I smiled smugly. _He slipped again,_ I thought to myself. "I see you're wearing the clothing from your home world. Is something wrong?"

"Actually, Lord Termini, I would like to speak with you," I said.

"Oh? About what?" he asked. He put an arm around my shoulder and began to lead me along. "We can talk in my study. You seem to want privacy. Is this about your wife? I found the one who tried to touch her and had him thrown into the basement with other problem servants."

That quickly? He'd found him that quickly?

"I assure you that nothing will come to harm you or Sara again," he said.

I didn't say anything as he opened a door to a small office like room with a desk, a few chairs, and a shelf full of books. Termini closed the door behind us and offered for me to sit down in front of the desk while he took a seat behind it. He folded his hands, placed them on the hardwood surface, and smiled. "Yes?"

"We know that you know our real names," I said. Termini paled. Oh yes. I was right. He was up to something and whatever it was couldn't be very good. "You've been calling me 'Cye' and my wife 'Sara'. How could you have known that? We told you our names were 'Calvin' and 'Serena'. Where did you learn our real names?"

Termini's expression darkened. But he said nothing.

That got me angry. So I continued on with my confrontation, standing up and leaning against the desk. "And second off, ever since we've gotten here, you've given us the cold shoulder when we ask you to get home. Please, we have family and friends back home, Sue Lee, too. You've been treating us like prisoners. So, tell me this, Termini; what the bloody devil is going on around here!"

Termini rose from his seat and walked around to my side of the desk. I stared at him, seeing he was NOT happy with me. His eyes had narrowed, his lips were pulled into a nasty sneer, and he knew I was onto him. "Perhaps I was careless in letting my knowledge of your names slip, **Child**."

I froze. _Oh dear God. . . not this. . ._ He knew. He knew exactly who we were. He knew we were Ronins. I wasn't sure why or how, but he knew who we were. And further more, he knew that I was the Child of Destiny. Suddenly I wasn't so sure about my idea on confronting the man. "What do you want with us?"

Termini cracked a grin that I didn't trust. I backed away from him, the man walking me straight into a corner. But I knew I was dangerous. I kept defiance in my voice as I spoke to him. "I'm warning you, Termini. If you know I'm the Child of Destiny, then you know I'm dangerous and that you shouldn't try to screw with me, because the only one who'll get screwed is you."

"That, my dear Child, is what you think," he said. He raised a hand in the air, closing his eyes. He began to murmur a chant, his fingers emitting a strange black energy. Dark energy. I tried to back away to the door, but Termini pointed to me with his free hand, an unseen force slamming me into a bookshelf. A large volume fell of the shelf and landed on my head, causing everything to go suddenly black. . .


	11. Chapter Ten

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Ten: Termini's Plot

(Sara)

While I was in the shower, I thought over what had happened the previous day. The attempted rape was still shaking me and probably would continue to do so for a few days. But I felt better in knowing we'd be going home later on, even if Cye had to beat the way home out of Termini.

I stepped out of the shower, happy with my cleansing and grabbed a towel, drying myself off. Normally I used my powers, but today I wanted to do it the "normal" way. Doing things the "normal" way sometimes made me feel better if something was bothering me, like what happened to me earlier.

I changed back into the outfit I'd been wearing the day we'd arrived, seeing as Cye had done the same. I gave the bathroom over to Sue Lee, who had her things over her shoulder as she ran in to take her own shower. I smiled as she ran in, the small girl a simple reminder of the days when I was like her. Young and somewhat innocent. Sue Lee, we all know, would probably never live a normal life due to all that she had been thrown into, but she was still a sweet girl. A little less naïve to the ways of the world, but still a sweetheart.

I started to brush through my hair infront of a mirror in our room, the darkened blue locks still wet against the back of my shirt. I pointed behind me and evaporated the water, only to be greeted by an undesirable frizzy look. I stuck my tongue out at the reflection and searched my pockets for an elastic of some sort to tie it back. I succeeded and found one. Pulling my hair through it quickly, I debated on whether or not I should go look for Cye and see how he was fairing.

As I stood up, I suddenly felt a pain in my heart. Something was wrong and whatever it was, my body was feeling it. I fell to the floor, clutching my chest as an ominously dark feeling overtook me. I clutched the end of the bed, breathing hard as I tried to regain my composure.

The Gruff ran to my side, using its large head to push me up on the bed. I fell back onto my back, breathing heavily. I could feel my forehead burning, my palms begin to sweat, and my head beginning to pound. The Gruff started to sniff around my hips. "What are you doing!" I demanded. The Gruff looked up and me and began to paw at my pockets.

I wasn't sure what it was doing at first, but then I figured it out. It wanted me to get my armor orbe, which was usually in my pocket! I patted my jeans, trying to remember which pocket I'd put it in. But my fingers were not greeted with the familiar feeling of the little marble I used to call up my powers. The Gruff was still sniffing, then butted into one of my breasts.

At first I couldn't figure out what the creature was getting at. Then I remembered where I'd stuck the darn thing. Since the dresses Termini provided me with had no pockets, I had to use my "natural" pocket to store my armor orbe. "Who says you can't learn anything from Jamie Lee Curtis movies?" I said, reaching down my cleavage to retrieve the said armor orbe. The minute I touched my armor orbe, I felt instantly better, but I still knew something was horribly wrong.

The Gruff snorted at me, rolling its eyes at me. I gave it a smug smile. "Hey, no pickpocket is gonna go looking for anything THERE," I said, pointing at my chest. The Gruff stared at me oddly, raising one ear as the other ear flopped down. "Well, MOST pickpockets."

I grasped the armor orbe tightly, drawing more relief from it. My hand around the little marble seemed to put my chest as ease, but I still felt danger around. Something must have happened to Cye. I turned back to the Gruff, ready to give it instructions. "Stay here with Sue Lee. Once she gets dressed, bring her and come find me and Cye, all right?"

The Gruff nodded, snorting. I stood up, stuffed the armor orbe in my pocket, and bolted out of the bedroom door. I had to find Cye. Something bad was going to happen, and if I didn't find him, it was only going to get worse. _Please be all right, Cye. Please be all right._

I frantically searched for my partner in arms around the complex, hoping I was going to avoid the sick bastard from the previous day. I had to find Cye, and I had to find him fast. I just KNEW something was wrong. What had happened in our room wasn't some random armor spasm. No. Trouble was lurking around the corner.

Maybe it was my armor, maybe it was woman's intuition, we may never know.

But, I was right.

I ran into every room I thought I might find Termini, since that was probably where Cye was. He wasn't in the main hall, wasn't in any of the gardens, and I didn't see him in any of the hallways. I checked a library we'd found and saw no sign of our host there, either.

In fact, I didn't find ANYONE. Not even a servant.

I found myself in a wing that was full of offices of some sort, probably studies, considering the time period that Termini drew his home from. All of them were pretty much identical. Desk, books, chairs, papers, and fire places. All done over exactly like the previous room before it.

The last room I checked (fourteen, I think) was different. This room had the same stuff in the other rooms, but it was a mess! Papers were all over the room, chairs turned over, and books in piles on the floor. I looked around, getting a sense that whatever had happened to Cye had happened there.

"Sara!"

I turned around to see Sue Lee was RIDING the Gruff as the creature bounced along the hallway, Cye's backpack over her shoulder. She was dressed, but her hair was still wet. "What's going on!" she asked. "The Gruff started to go nuts when I got out of the bathroom and-"

"Cye's in trouble," I said. I looked the Gruff in the eye. Sue Lee had given me a great idea. There was only so fast I could go on foot. If I was riding something, I would be able to go a lot faster. Would the Gruff let me ride him like he'd let Sue Lee ride him? "Room for one more on there?"

The Gruff nodded, bending his legs down low enough so I could straddle his back. Sue Lee moved back so I could sit up front. Once I had a firm grip on his fur and Sue Lee had her arms wrapped around my middle, I gently nudged his side and the Gruff took off.

"Whoa!" I said, not used to the sensation of riding the strange creature. It was like some sort of a strange roller coaster ride, constantly up and down, up and down, and gaining speed. Man, Mexican jumping beans had NOTHING on Sue Lee and me on the back of the Gruff.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

Down the halls we went, the Gruff's tongue lolling out as it sniffed the air, searching for Cye's scent. The Gruff seemed almost exited, whipping his head from left to right. He went this way and that, never seeming to find who he was looking for. With each dead end we hit, I began to get more and more concerned.

Finally, the Gruff paused, sniffing the air. His ears perked up and he lowered his head, sniffing at the ground. "What is it?" I asked. The Gruff lifted his head and looked around silently, then bolted down the area he had sniffed out. He turned down hallways, this time in some sort of organization. _He must have Cye's scent, _I thought.

After a while, I realized that the Gruff, if he was onto the trail, was headed for the front door. So was Cye outside? So then whatever Termini was doing, it was probably outside, if we were right. There were too many ifs for my liking, but I didn't have much information to go on.

"Stand back, Gruff! Your riders and you shall not pass!" I looked ahead of us to see that a small gathering of Termini's soldiers were guarding the front entrance, most holding wooden shields and spears. "Lord Termini will not be interrupted! Go back and he will be merciful!"

The Gruff wasn't phased by this in the least. The creature had no reason to be frightened of these guards. These guards had wooden shield and wooden weapons. The Gruff was not of afraid of these wooden weapons and defense items. Why was he not afraid? Because he had something better than that.

The Gruff opened its mouth, pulled its head back, and began to breath fire.

"Gruffs. . . can breathe. . . fire?" I asked.

I got no response. The Gruff yipped happily, obviously pleased with itself. Not only were the guards out of commission, but the door had been burnt down, too. Our furry friend leapt over the now unconscious and rather crispy looking guards into Termini's courtyard.

Well, it HAD been a courtyard.

All of the carts, sheds, and weapons were removed, leaving a huge, empty front yard. In the middle of the courtyard, a tall, fifty-something foot pole stood, oriental symbols scrawled on it, the symbols glowing every so often. I stared at the pole, trying to figure out what its significance was.

I gasped in shock when I saw Cye was at the bottom of the pole, barely conscious, his hands tied above his head. Above his hands, hanging from a string looped around a nail, was something I thought I would NEVER see again. "Oh God no, not that," I said. "Anything but THAT!"

The Jewel of Death.

"Cye!" I screamed.

Cye wearily looked up me. "Run. . . away. . . leave. . . me. . ."

"No! I'm not leaving you!" I cried, jumping off the Gruff.

"Hello, Lady Torrent, fine day today, isn't?"

I turned to see Termini had emerged from somewhere, dressed in dark robes. He was no longer the cheery yet creepy looking guy who had saved us from the pack of wild Gruffs. Now he looked reminiscent of a Star Wars Darth character. I growled, making a fist at our obvious enemy. "Termini! Let Cye go this instant!"

Termini let out a belly laugh, his hands over his stomach as he made it. "No, not while I'm so close to doing what Trulpa failed to do," he said. Termini grinned a dark grin. "Controlling the Child of Destiny would help me reach a higher level of power, don't you agree, Lady Torrent?"

_THAT'S what this idiot wants! _"I won't let you!" I said. I grabbed my armor orbe, threw it into the air, and called out my subarmor, praying it would work. Thankfully, it did, and I was bathed in the familiar energy, emerging in subarmor. "I am Sara, Torrent of the Senshi, and as Cye's partner in arms, I will not allow you to control him!"

The now obviously dangerous man gave me an amused look. "You honestly think that your tricks are going to work against me?" He made a few motions with his hands. "You see, I helped Trulpa and Talpa create the Jewel of Death. I have the power to construct and re-construct dark weapons. Think of me as a magical weapon-smith, if you would. But now that Trulpa is all but finished and her brother has gone to the next world, I've decided that I'd like some of my toys back. The Jewel of Death was my pride and joy, and now it's mine again. I just had to recollect the particles the little Flitteree brat scattered around the Dynasty two months ago. It was no accident you were brought here, though I wasn't expecting you or the child. Now I'll have the Child and the Jewel, and you won't be able to stop me, little girl."

"LITTLE?" I said. "I'LL SHOW YOU LITTLE!" I lowered my hands and performed my most devastating Senshi attack magic. I didn't have a name for the spell, but it's basically a highly concentrated water bomb. I concentrated, trying to put as much magic into it as I could before I released the spell. "YAHH!"

Termini raised his hand and a dark force field surrounded him, shielding him from my attack. I gawked. _Oh, crap. He can use force fields. Just perfect. Ugh, this is going to be a lot harder than I thought it was gonna be. _"Anything else?" Termini asked, giving me a skeptical look.

Now he was ruffling my feather. I put my hands at my sides, both clenched in fists as I raised my shoulders to my ears. A very angry sneer crossed my face. "Oh, you're gonna regret screwing with me, bucko," I said. Now it was time to pull out the big gun. "Torrent of the Senshi, DAO SHIN!" Flash of light, silks, big armor, blah, blah, blah, you know the drill. I stood in the Torrent of the Senshi, my yari preparing to perform the Super Wave Smasher on my adversary.

"Oh, this looks interesting," he said. "Hit me with your best shot."

"SUPER WAVE SMASHER!"

Termini didn't expect me to come up with such a strong attack and took it full force. I whooped with joy, thinking I had beaten him. "All right! Termini is toasted!" I cried out. I turned to Cye, who smiled at me from his position on the ground. I started to walk over to him. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine, just- uh oh," he said, his eyes widening.

"Uh oh what?" I asked. I turned around and grimaced at what I saw.

"I must admit that while that was a very impressive display of attack magic, no cigar, sweetheart." Termini had emerged from the waterspout. Yeah, he was wet, and yeah, he had a few bruises, but he was (sadly) all right and ready for me. "Is that the best you've got?"

"Sara, do something!" said Sue Lee.

"I, I don't know if I can," I said, dropping my yari. I stared at my adversary, feeling as if all hope was lost. _He couldn't have survived that! Unless he's stronger than I thought. . . oh no, we're all gonna die! _ "The Super Wave Smasher is my ace in the hole, and I don't know if I can do anything more."

"You can't give up on Cye!" she said. "You can't!"

Termini laughed, walking over to the pole. Cye gave him a somewhat dirty look, but he still looked very weak. _The Jewel of Death must be doing something to him- it's got to be a Kryptonite effect by now, _I thought. _Trulpa controlling him with it must make him weak against it. Time for something desperate._

If magic didn't work, maybe a physical attack would work. With a mighty battle cry, I charged Termini. He laughed and sent me flying backwards. I skidded to a stop on the ground, the force of the blow knocking my armor away, leaving me in subarmor. Damn, that bastard was strong. "Sara!" I heard Cye cry.

Termini advanced on me, the Jewel of Death in hand. I winced at the dark light coming from it. Pure evil radiated from it, an evil that was hurting me. "My dear, dear, Senshi, I really do like you. You've got a unique spunk for a Torrent. Too bad I have to kill you now."

I tried to get up, but the power from the Jewel of Death prevented that. I fell back to the ground, struggling against the pain caused from the evil talisman. "No. . . way. . . in. . . Hell. . .will. . . you. . . ever. . . win. . ." I said, but then I cried out from pain and anguish.

My partner in arms was not taking this very well. Now that the Jewel of Death wasn't close to him anymore, he wasn't weak. And the fit he was pitching proved it. "Stop it! It's me you want, leave her alone!" Cye cried. I could hear him struggling against his bonds, but he wasn't having much luck.

"Say good-bye to this world," said Termini. I closed my eyes, expecting the worst.


	12. Chapter Eleven

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Eleven: The Jewel of Hope

(Cye)

I struggled against my ropes, trying to break free so I could get to Sara. Termini was going to KILL her, and I couldn't do anything to stop him unless I was able to free myself. "Sara!" I cried out in determination. "Termini! Don't you dare lay a finger on her!" But to no avail.

I saw Sue Lee and the Gruff trying to sneak over to me. I looked to them with desperation. If they could untie me, I could try using my Torrent powers- I had been using them a little longer than Sara had and had been under more intense training schedules. All else failed, I would have to use my powers as the Child of Destiny to save Sara.

IF I could figure out how to use them.

Ever since I had learned I had inherited some of my father's armor powers, I hadn't a clue as to how to use them. Anubis tried to teach them to me, but, it just wasn't happening. I could make flowers grow (one of the elements of that armor is Spring), but that was pretty much it. I couldn't use any attack magic, elemental magic, or, if Anubis was right, combination magic. Combination magic is just what it sounds like, a combination of two or more kinds of magic, and if it's used on you, you're screwed. That's why the Child of Destiny is supposed to be so dangerous- when I figured out how to mix up my Torrent powers and Anubis' Ogre powers. . . I was a walking lethal weapon.

Our host turned enemy noticed Sue Lee and the Gruff as they made their way over. Taking his attention off of Sara, Termini raised his hand, creating a force field around them. A magical cage. Sue Lee clung to the Gruff, looking scared. She was going to watch us get killed. Then, she was probably going to get killed, too.

We had to do something!

In my desperation, I tried to cast some sort of spell. Even a rainstorm might distract him long enough for Sara to recover, though I wasn't sure how badly she'd been hurt, or if she was unconscious. I raised a few fingers and pressed my palms together. Maybe. . . maybe. . .

I gave out a silent cry of joy as a beam of blue light spasmodically smacked Termini in the back. It didn't do much, but it did take his attention away from Sara. He growled at me, not looking too happy over me striking him. He growled, getting really frustrated.

"You little brat!" he said, shaking a fist at me. "I hope your take-over is as painful as they come for that backhanded insult! No one DARES to strike the great Lord Termini! No body! Not even you, you little bastard! No one strikes Termini and lives to tell about it!"

I took notice that Sara had recovered enough to get away and was slowly backing up, trying to formulate a plan of some sort. She smiled at me weakly and gave me a quick thumbs up. I glanced behind Termini and smiled at her, glad she was going to be all right. Now we could kick his butt from here to kingdom come.

Termini saw my eyes wander and cursed when he saw that Sara had escaped. He screamed, beginning to pitch a fit. "You little wench! I'm going to rip you to shreds! Nothing can stop me from taking the Child of Destiny! Nothing! Not even you, you stupid Chosen!"

While I had no idea what Termini meant by "Chosen" as he yelled at Sara, I got an idea. Water might've been able to weaken the ropes. Better yet, it might've been able to rot them out to the point I could break them. I concentrated on the ropes, gathering moisture from the air. I felt my wrists dampen and knew it was beginning to work. While the spell ran its course, the ropes began to get heavy with water. I closed my eyes, advancing the spell.

With that, I began to try and use what little strength I had to rip the ropes apart. Then Termini would have a problem. Slowly, I could feel the fibers of the rope begin to snap. _Yes! _I thought to myself. I intensified my struggle until the rotted out ropes fell into my lap. I flicked the remainder of my bindings of, then stood up and summoned my yari. I was going to run the bastard through.

I silently charged forth, only the have Termini jump out of the way at the last minute. I cursed, snapping my fingers in frustration. He used some very colorful language when he saw I'd escaped. Sara went to my side, the two of us staring down our former host. Now that both of us were free, he was doomed.

"How sweet of you to defend the little bitch," said Termini. "Well, that's not how it's going to work. I'm going to win this battle, I'm going to control Cye, and I'm going to use him to take over your world!" He raised the Jewel of Death high over his head and began to chant.

We both fell to our knees, both of us suffering from agonizing pain. The Gruff and Sue Lee were screaming for Termini to stop it, Sue Lee pounding her fists up against the force field. "Cye! Sara!" she cried out. The Gruff butted its head against the force field, occasionally trying to burn in (!). Termini just laughed evilly at their fruitless efforts to try and help us.

I was somehow able to look up at Termini. There had to be a way to stop him, but what was it! I was the Child of Destiny. I was supposed to be able to use not only my own power's but my father's powers as well. I was supposed to be dangerous! But here I was, someone who most Dynasty lords feared, and I was totally helpless. So what the bloody devil did I have to do to use my powers?

_Patience, Torrent. Your powers will awaken all in good time. . ._

I knew that voice all too well. I knew who was speaking with me. _Ancient? _I asked. Yes, it was the Ancient One. The Ancient would help me! He always helped the Ronins whenever we were in trouble. _Ancient One, help me! This fellow is winning. He's going to kill us!_

_The Chosen Mate will take care of the Jewel of Death- you will take care of Lord Termini, just have patience,_ was the Ancient One's response to my pleas. _Have patience, Child of Destiny. Your time will come soon enough and you will live up to your every expectation._

_. . . the what?_

"GRROAARRRRR!"

Apparently the Gruff took that opportunity to bust out of Termini's force field. Sue Lee cheered for the Gruff, jumping up and down. Apparently the Jewel of Death wasn't affecting the beast, since it pounced on Termini, breaking his hold on us. The Jewel of Death flew from his hand and landed a few feet away.

Sara recovered just a little faster than I did. She wasn't as vulnerable to the talisman as I was-it still had the power to control me. She stood up and darted over to where the Jewel of Death sat. She picked it up by the string attached to it. She held it out in front of her, keeping it as far away from her as she could.

"Sara, what are you doing!" I asked, now in a kneeling position. "Get rid of that thing!"

"No. . . someone's telling me to change it," she said.

"Change it! What the bloody hell do you think you can do to change it!" I asked.

"I. . . I don't know. . ." she said. At that moment, the Gruff bounded away from Termini and stood by Sara, taking the Jewel of Death in his mouth. My partner in arms looked at the beast as it stood before her, talisman dangling from one of its fangs. "You're helping me?" The Gruff nodded, bumping her side with its head. Her eyes suddenly widened and she nodded, taking the dagger from her subarmored leg and holding it out in front of her.

"I don't think so you little brats!" roared Termini, who looked royally peeved. My yari still in hand, I charged him again, distracting him. I had to keep Termini away from Sara and the Gruff. _Sara must be the "Chosen Mate" that the Ancient was talking about. But what does that mean?_

Just like last time, Termini was able to get out of the way. He summoned a very sharp and dangerous looking sword, ready to fight. Termini and I circled each other for a few minutes, never taking our eyes off the other. Both of us knew that one of us was not going to leave alive. This was going to be a fight to the death.

I was hoping it was going to be HIS death and not mine.

_Clang. . . clang. . . clang. . . clang. . ._

The battle field was set into silence. I looked around, wondering where the clanging of rings had come from. Sara, the Gruff, Sue Lee, and Termini were all doing the same. The Ancient One's spirit was here. We could all sense it, even Sue Lee and the Gruff. Those rings always meant the Ancient.

A strong gust of wind appeared out of nowhere, the shadowy image of the Ancient standing before the Gruff and Sara. The Gruff seemed to bow, the Ancient lowing the Staff to his head. "_Scarred one, protect the Child of Destiny and his Chosen Mate,_" he said to the strange beast. The beast nodded, yapping in response. With that, the Ancient lifted the Staff into the air and slammed it into the ground with a mighty cry.

With that, the Ancient disappeared. At first, nothing happened, leaving us all dumbfounded. "What was THAT?" said Termini. He snorted. "So, it would appear as if I'm more powerful than the mighty Ancient One. Ha! This is going to be even easier than I originally thought!"

Termini spoke just a LITTLE bit too soon.

Once the last word escaped his lips, Sara was bathed in a golden glow. The Gruff glowed as well, bowing its head. Some of the glow seeped from the dog-like creature, empowering the Senshi of the Torrent. She was lifted a few feet off the ground, panicking at first. Then, seeing she was in no harm, my partner in arms straightened herself and extended her arms, closing her eyes as her long blue hair flew up behind her. The Jewel of Death lifted into the air, the Gruff letting it go. The Jewel floated between Sara's open hands, glowing white as it spun madly in the air.

After a bright flash of white, Sara returned to the ground, the Jewel of Death now a bright blue in color as opposed to the deep black we were used to. Sara stared at it in bewilderment, not seeming to remember much after she was lifted into the air. She looked at me in question, somehow expecting me to know the answer.

I didn't have a good answer for what had just happened or what was about to happen.

The next thing I knew, my yari faded away. I looked around in confusion, wondering where it had gone. I looked at my hands, twisting them from the back to the palm, expecting my weapon to reappear. When I turned them to see the backs of my hands, I saw my hands begin to glow.

"Uh oh," said Termini.

I watched in curiously as the kanji symbol of "Trust" lit up my right hand, the kanji symbol of "Loyalty" on my left. Each glowed with the color of the respective armor that went with it. As they did, I felt a power from deep within my stomach begin to awaken, almost as if it had been asleep for a thousand years, maybe more. It began to channel itself straight through my left arm to my left hand. I felt the familiar Torrent magic thrust itself through my right arm.

I grinned, knowing EXACTLY what was going on.

Apparently, so did Termini. He had turned an interesting white color, knowing that his time was suddenly very limited. He was about to get blasted by a very powerful, and very angry, Ronin Warrior. A Ronin Warrior who could use combination magic. "Would you like to die slowly and painfully or quickly and instantaneously?" I asked Termini.

"This is what you get for trying to mess with us," said Sara, who had walked over to me. She now stood beside me, somehow seeming older and wiser her hair flowed off to the side. The Gruff was at her side, towering well over a foot above her. "Didn't your mother ever tell you it was a bad idea to try and take on two really angry Ronins?"

Termini stared at us in disbelief. He knew it was over for him. Once I combined the two magic forces radiating from my hands, he was going to be blasted to smithereens. He narrowed his eyes. "Kill me if you will, but not before I fight back!" he cried, creating a mass of dark energy high above his head.

I raised my hands over my head clasped them, and threw the clenched fists before me, sending a blue and yellow explosion of energy headed straight for Termini. The black energy he'd sent towards us was swallowed up by my attack. His last ditch effort was no use. My attack had won.

It struck him full force.

I held the attack out as long as I could, listening to his deafening wails of agony, unclenching my hands once I was certain he was dead. I fell to my knees, resting my hands on my thighs. I felt drained and tired, but happy. I had finally awoken to my true potential, and I was quite proud of myself. Sara dropped to my side, smiling.

"Nice work," she said. "You saved our lives."

"So did you," I said, smiling at her. I raised one hand to her cheek, turning her face to mine. Her smile softened, getting somehow very pretty. In fact, she looked very pretty. Knowing it was something I wanted to do and something she wanted me to do, I closed my eyes and leaned in to kiss her lightly on the lips.

And it was good.

Sue Lee giggled, breaking my attention from Sara. "Kissy-kissy!" she said.

"Some day you'll be 'kissy-kissy' with a boy, too, Sue Lee," said Sara, laughing. She stood up, lending me a shoulder so I could get up, too. Sue Lee rushed over, hugging us both. The Gruff whined, lowering its head to nuzzle me and Sara. Sara laughed, patting the creature on the forehead.

"Well, it's good to see you've resolved your argument."

The four of us turned to see my father and Ria looking at us, the Fire Senshi in subarmor and Anubis in the robes of the Ancient One. Ria stared at the Gruff and pointed at it, one eyebrow raised in confusion. "What's that wolf thingy with you guys and where are its back legs?"

Anubis stared at our friend. "A Gruff?" he asked. "You've befriended a Gruff?"

"After it chased us halfway across Boston for a bag of chips in Cye's backpack," said Sara, nodding enthusiastically. Sue Lee giggled, scratching our friend behind the ears. "But yes, it's our friend. He helped us take on a Dynasty bad guy. If it weren't for him. . . I don't know if we could have held off long enough for you guys to get here."

"Look at what Sara made!" said Sue Lee, holding the blue jewel high above her head.

"What IS that?" asked Anubis.

"Well, it WAS the Jewel of Death," I said. Anubis looked at me, raising an eyebrow. Part of it sent a message that plainly said that while he was glad to see me, I hadn't been home for two days, and I had been grounded already, and without a decent explanation, I wouldn't see the light of day for a very long time to come. "Sara did something to it and now it's. . . different."

"It's good now," said Sara, taking the jewel back from Sue Lee. She walked over to Anubis and dropped it into his hands. "I don't how I did it or even why I did it, but it isn't evil anymore. When I changed it, Cye awoke to his powers as the Child of Destiny. It gave us a ray of hope."

"You finally used your powers?" asked Anubis excitedly, running up to me. His eyes were twice as wide as normal and he had a huge grin on his face. I nodded, getting a bear hug from my father. He lifted me off the ground, obviously happy with me. "Congratulations, my boy! You've finally done it!"

"Does this mean Cye's off punishment?" asked Sue Lee.

My father folded his arms and tapped his food. "Well. . . I'll consider it," said Anubis. "But don't think that every time you defeat a Dynasty villain you'll be let off punishment if I do." I mentally gave a whoop of joy- being confined to the apartment was beginning to get boring, despite the adventure I had just been on.

"I have an idea- let's get home so Sara and Cye can tell us what happened!" said Ria, speaking up for the first time in a while. She clasped her hands together and rocked back on her heels. "Does everyone agree, or do the three of you want to spend a while in the Dynasty?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice, let's get home before my mom has kittens," said Sara. She took the former Jewel of Death and put it around her neck. "Besides, we have a few things to take care of. We gotta come up with a name for this thing AND our new friend, here."

"The Jewel of Hope," said Sue Lee.

"I like that," said Sara. "Now let's get out of here."


	13. Chapter Twelve

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Twelve: The Chosen Mate

(Sara)

Anubis and Ria brought us straight to Mike's mansion. There, we found our fellow Ronins all pacing back and fourth, Mike and Cara looking very stressed out as well. Once they all saw us, Cye and I were pretty much swamped by our comrades. Keisha, Sam, and Rona were all throwing dozens of questions at me at once, Kento and Sage were checking Cye for every disease known to mankind and Sue Lee was being smothered by Mike.

Ria cleared her throat. "I believe that we need to know exactly what happened to these two before we proceed, ne?" she said. Seeing that she was right (and for once, serious about something), the others sat down and gave Cye, Sue Lee, and I a chance to breathe. The Gruff went over to my chair and rested his head in my lap getting several shocked stares.

"Don't worry, he's all right," Cye reassured everyone.

"What IS he?" asked Rona.

"A Gruff, from the looks of it, maybe two to three years old," said Anubis.

"Two to three years? How long do Gruffs lives?" asked Sue Lee.

"They have roughly the same life span as humans, so assuming he takes care of himself, he should be fine. Does he had a name?" asked Cara. Cye and I shook our heads. "How about if we worry about his name, later. He seems to like you guys a lot. So do tell us what happened."

Cye and I relayed the story to the others. Several responses included, "Ooo", "Ahh", "Ow! He'll be feeling that one in the morning!" "Bastard!", low lying snickers, snorts of laughter, and other minute comments people uses when other people are telling them a story. You've heard them all before.

"There's still a few things that puzzled, us," said Cye. "The Ancient One AND Termini called Sara a. . . Chosen Mate. And that thing that happened when that man went after Sara and he couldn't touch her. None of it makes any sense!" He threw his hands into the air and sighed heavily. "Now that we've gotten our heads back on straight, I'm worried about her."

"I wouldn't be," Cara said darkly. "Those two events walk hand in hand."

Kento raised an eyebrow. "What exactly IS a Chosen Mate, anyways?"

"A Chosen Mate is someone who is 'promised' to someone else- similar to being betrothed. Who they've been promised too becomes the only person that they can touch intimately, and in most cases, the reverse is also true," said Anubis. He cleared his throat. "The Age of Legends, what we're in now, is powerful not only because the Ronins all have an extra attribute to them that makes them all the more dangerous and the fact that the Child of Destiny was born, but because partners in arms have related, if not identical, attributes."

"Right. Just like how I'm a Flitteree and Sam's half-Amazon. Those two races were the controlling people of the Nether Realm, so that's the connection between those two," said Sage. "Then that means Keisha is some kind of a psychic and Ria and Rona will have similar or identical powers to the powers Ryo and Rowen weld."

"Precisely," said Anubis. "Now, what would be similar to the Child of Destiny?"

Not surprisingly, no one answer. Anubis nodded. The room remained eerily quiet as we all exchanged looks, wondering what our teacher was getting at. Eventually most eyes settled on Kento. Kento shrugged and pointed at Anubis. We all turned to him to see he was waiting to give us his answer.

"The only similar thing to the Child of Destiny would be someone else who had a Warlord for a father or a Warlady for a mother. We would've figured out if Mr. Lewis wasn't Sara's real father by now, and it's difficult to camouflage a pregnant Warlady. That means that something had to be invented."

I lowered my head. "I was promised to Cye to give me a connection to him for the Age of Legends, wasn't I?" I said quietly. Anubis lowered his head, not seeming to have much of an answer. Cye gave me an odd look, a mixture of emotions in his eyes that I couldn't read. I stood up and walked out of the room.

"Sara, where are you-" Keisha tried to ask.

"I need to be alone."

I went out onto Mike's roof to watch the stars. Even though they're Rona's element and not mine, I like them. They're so pretty and bright, like a small child's dream. I relished in their light. I'm sure they were reflected in the frustrated rivulets of tears that were steadily flowing down my cheeks as I silently wept.

It was one thing to be given a destiny as an armor bearer. I could deal with that. The armor helped me deal with everything I came across- all the blood and battles and angst that comes with being a Ronin. I didn't mind that. Heck, if it weren't for the armors, I wouldn't have met some of the best friends I've ever had.

But being promised to Cye was another thing all together. I didn't get to choose who I got to marry anymore. If I ever wanted children, they'd have to be Cye's children. I couldn't get the kind of affection everyone wants and needs from anyone but him. No. My right to choose was gone.

Don't get me wrong, Cye's a nice guy and all, but. . . what if he wasn't? What if I was the partner in arms of some abusive jerk who called me names and beat me or something? What if he didn't have a good work ethic and I was on welfare with a household of seven kids or more to add the income? _You REALLY lucked out that Cye's such a sweetheart most of the time, Sara. If he wasn't, you could be in trouble._

I heard footsteps behind me and felt someone sit down. A pair of arms lazily draped themselves around my neck and a head with warm breath rested itself on my shoulder and against my head. I knew who it was. I sniffled a few times. "Please. . . Cye. . . just give me some time alone."

"I'm worried about you," he said softly. He gently took my hands and put them in my lap. I turned my head to look at him. "Mike told everyone to go home after you walked out. My father told me to go find you. He said that we needed to have a long talk about. . . this." He raised a hand and gently wiped some of my tears away. "It's all right, Sara. Just let it flow."

"I don't like loosing my freedom," I said.

"Your freedom?" asked Cye.

"Don't you get it?" I said. "If I ever want to have kids or get married or-"

"Oh," he said. "I get it." He sighed heavily. "You know, my freedom's gone, too."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Anubis said that-"

"He found some scrolls on the Child of Destiny and found out that if he or she is indeed partnered with a Chosen Mate, then yes, they're promised to them, too," he said. "But you know what? I guess it's not so bad. It could be a lot worse when you think about it, right?"

"Right," I said. "You're not really abusive or anything."

"Yeah, I guess so," he said. "And you know, we don't HAVE to get married or anything- there's no law that says you must be married sometime during your lifetime, right? Right. And this is what prevented you from getting raped. This whole thing will guarantee to you that I couldn't cheat on you. So don't worry about it, Sara- you're not in this alone."

I smiled at him and wiped some more of my tears away. "Thank you, Cye," I said.

Cye kissed my cheek. "Not a problem," he said. "Can I help you up?"

"Sure," I said. Cye brought us both to our feet and walked me back to the window we used to get onto the roof. He led me inside, where Anubis stood waiting. The Gruff was behind him, whimpering about something. It bounced over to me and sniffed my hand. I patted it in response.

"Anubis?" Cye asked.

"There's one thing I found out after you left. Sara has a power, too, but we need to figure out what that power is," he said. Cye shook his head. Anubis raised an eyebrow. "What? Aren't you two at least a little interested in knowing what tricks Sara has up her sleeve that we don't know about?"

"I think Sara's had enough thrown at her for one weekend, don't you agree?" said Cye. "What she needs is some much deserved rest and relaxation. Good thing we don't have school tomorrow or else she'd be a bloody mess if anything happened there. Give it a few days."

"I'm all right," I said.

"Yes, and I'm King Henry VIII. Let's get you home so you can get a good night's rest, all right?" said Cye. I narrowed my eyes at him. He snorted. "Oh, c'mon, Sara, just humor me here for a little bit. Let me mother hen you for a while and I'll be happy as a clam. Please?"

"Oh, fine," I said, resting my head on his shoulder. Satisfied with my answer, Cye put an arm around my shoulder and started to walk me out to the front door. Down the hall, down the stairs, and through the living room he took me until we were once again outside in the brisk night air. Kento was outside, Mike's car keys in hand. Cye nodded, and got us both into the back seat. Before long, I was headed home.

I woke up the next morning to a very chilly breeze. I wrapped the blanket more tightly around me, but it didn't help much. I grumbled. I knew what had happened. My mother must have come into my room and opened the window or something- she'd been doing that since I was a baby, back when we lived in Hawaii and an open window meant a refreshing Hawaiian breeze, not a cold Boston wind. God, didn't she realize I wasn't a little kid anymore and if I wanted the stupid window open I could open it myself? No, of course not. I may be fifteen years old and I may be a Ronin Senshi, but NO, I was NOT capable of opening a window by myself.

I stuck my head out from under the covers and suddenly became very scared.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Thirteen: Where is Sara?

(Cye)

Considering I had just learned that years of school dances, block parties, and chick watching were worth a nice warm cup of zilch, I think I slept fairly well. Many nights nowadays my sleep is plaqued by nightmares- I think Sage and Kento will agree with me. With maybe the acception of Ryo, who was nearly killed so many times during our first war, the three of us went through the most. Kidnapped, tortured, turned to stone, kidnapped again and held prisoner for close to a year in the hands of a mad woman who dealt out even more torture, I think I have every right to say that. Heck, all that plus a multitude of other things. Naturally my dreams will be haunted by nightmares.

Sometimes, if I want to, I can go into other people's dreams, but I don't like to do it. It's an invasion of privacy. This is what a person is THINKING. Their subconcious. Yes, Kento and Keisha use telepathy all the time, but they choose what the other can and can't see. With dreams, I can open up any head I want to like a book.

Sometimes it frightens me.

Some of the powers we have are pretty frightening. Kento's told me numerous times he's scared silly about his own power- that is, being a seer. He tells me it's mind boggling to have premonitions, sometimes visions, of what will happen in the future. Oh yeah, a lot of times he justs sees spilt milk or something, but sometimes he sees worse things that he can't do anything about. Then there are prophecies. He HATES those, and I think I would, too. He tells me he just blacks out and suddenly he can't remember was happened for the past minute or so. It only happened once, but it sincerely scared him.

Sam's scared of what she IS, never mind was she has. She knows what her father's people had done in the past. The Amazons weren't exactly a race of people you just went up to with a big, friendly smile and arms wide open for a hug. They were vicious killers. She's afraid that she'll become like one of them. Like her father. Sage and Anubis are helping her with that, training her meditation and what not- heck, Sage's carefree nature as a Flitteree helps out, too.

I woke up the morning after we returned to find it still dark. I heard a ring in the background and blinked. What was that? Another ring. My mind registered the word "telephone". I looked at my digital clock. Just after seven. Who would be calling at that hour of the morning?

I heard a click and knew our answering machine was going off. I stood up and walked into the living room, listening to the familiar recording Anubis and I had left for any incoming callers that happened to call when the two of us weren't home. A beep sounded and the caller left their message.

"Cye! Anubis? Please wake up! Please answer the phone!"

"Mrs. Lewis?" I said aloud. Why would she be calling at such an early hour of the day? _Something must be wrong. . . oh no. . . Sara! _ I quickly picked up the phone and turned off the answering machine so I could speak to my friend's mother. "Mrs. Lewis, is everything all right? It's me, Cye."

"Cye, she's gone! Vanished!"

"What?" I said, my eyes widening.

"I went to look in on Sara when I got up this morning and she wasn't in her room! Her mattress, pillow, and blanket were all gone, too! Cye, I'm scared! Where is she! I want to know where my little girl is!" From there, the frantic woman began to wail over the phone.

"Calm down, Mrs. Lewis! I'll be right over!" I said. "Just stay put and don't touch anything in that room! Anubis will probably want to give it a run through with the Staff! Don't worry, though, Mrs. Lewis. Sara's a strong girl- I'm sure that wherever she is she's still all right."

Sniffles. "Thank you, dear."

"Not a problem. We'll be over there in a jiffy."

After a brief struggle to wake Anubis up that ended in a lovely ice water spell I had mastered a while ago, the two of drove to the Lewis household. When we got there, Emily and Mr. Lewis were up along with Mrs. Lewis (Trevor was sleeping over at a friend's house, I guess). Mrs. Lewis was still in a bathrobe and curlers, her face in her hands. Rythmic shudders came over her body, each accompanied by a new wave of tears. Emily looked worried, and Mr. Lewis was consolling his sobbing wife.

Emily (who had also let us in) led us upstairs. "It's really weird, Cye," she said. "Pillows, mattress, blanket, Sara, all gone. I can see what even a Dynasty dipwad would want with Sara, but her bedding? Her MATTRESS? What's the point in taking all of that? It just doesn't make any sense!"

"You are correct- it is a bit strange for such items to disappear with a person," said Anubis. We stopped infront of a door with several painted wooden fish nailed to it. A small sign with pink, cursive writing announced that this was "Sara's Room". Emily nodded, and nervously, I placed my hand on the doorknob and turned it.

Sara's room was done over in lots of blue with a definite tropical touch to it, especially the carpets with large pink and yellow flowers printed on. A large pile of stuffed animals sat between was light brown desk and a small black TV with a PlayStation hooked up to it. A tall bureau and a clear fishtank sat next to the bed, which, just as Mrs. Lewis and Emily said, was devoid of any beddings, mattress included.

"Was there anything else missing? Old jewelry in particular?" asked Anubis.

Emily shook her head. "Nuh uh," she said. "The most expensive piece of jewelry Sara owns is in our parent's room- mom's jewelry box has a lock on it so she keeps everything in there so robbers can't get to it." I mentally commended the woman for doing something very smart, but then concentrated back on the task at hand.

"Did you call anyone besides us?" I asked.

"Nope again," said Emily, shaking her head. "You two were the ones Mom thought of first because you're her partner in arms or you have the Staff of the Ancient One. She thought that you two would have the best luck figuring out where she went." She frowned. "Is Sara gonna be all right?"

"I'm sure she will be," said Anubis, giving her a reassuring pat on the back.

I walked further into the room, nervous about where I was going. I was no stranger to girls' rooms- I was always in and out of my sister's room as a kid- but Sara was so. . . different. Now that our relationship had changed so greatly, being in her room just felt weird.

I saw a shiny object on a small pillow on a dresser next to the bed. I walked closed and eventually recognized what it was. A tiny blue marble. I picked it up and held it up to the light. The symbol for "Trust" flashed before my eyes. My eyes widened in shock. "Oh, shit."

"Cye!" said Anubis, giving me the parental "stink eye" that he had been working on since he learned about our relation. He placed one hand on his hip and tapped a foot impatiently. "What have I told you about swearing! Missing Chosen Mate or no missing Chosen Mate you-"

"This is Sara's armor orbe!" I said, pointing at the marble. "Wherever she is she's unarmed!"

"Oh, shit!" said Anubis, more loudly than I had. He turned to Emily, who was now frightened. "Call Mike's house and get a hold of Kento. Tell him to try and locate Sara with his crystal ball. When you're done with that, call Sam and have her and Ella use their Amazon senses to try and track her down that way. Sage can probably help them. Get a hold of Ria to have her get Tiger Lily on the trail, too. Have Keisha get to Mike's house and help Kento if she can. Tell Rona to. . . help wherever she thinks she'll be most useful."

Emily nodded, then ran down the stairs to fulfill her orders. I looked at Anubis, who was looking at me as well. Both of us were filled with worry and fear. Wherever Sara was, she was alone, unarmed, and probably very, very frightened. "Anubis, try to see what magical energies you can pick up here with the Staff."

Anubis nodded and summoned the Staff. It appeared out of thin with a resounding "pop" sound and the clinking of the rings as it fell into his waiting hands. He closed his eyes, held the Staff onto before him with one hand, and held his free hand out with his fingers straight and his palm open. Then he began to chant.

Not sure what else I could do, I left the room and went downstairs. I passed Emily, who was making phone calls on a telephone that happened to be located in the hall (I thought it was an odd place for a phone, but that wasn't the time to ask about it). I found Mr. and Mrs. Lewis right where we'd left them. I sat down across from them on the coffee table. Mr. Lewis looked up, expecting an answer from me. Mrs. Lewis also looked up, her eyes bloodshot from stress.

"We still don't know where she is, but we're doing everything we can think of that we're capable of doing to get her back," I said quietly. "Emily is calling the others right now to enlist their help. Don't worry- we'll find her, and she'll be just fine. I promise you that."

"How can you make such a promise if you don't know where she is?" asked Mr. Lewis.

I narrowed my eyes, then calmed them. I placed my hand over my heart. "I can feel it right here that she's all right," I said. I half smiled. "I just can't explain the feeling, but I just know she's okay. I don't know where she is, but at worst she's only scared." I looked up at them. "All of the armors are connected. Mine happens to be very closely connected to hers. I can just sense that she's going to be all right."

Mrs. Lewis wiped some of her tears away. "She told us about. . . you two."

I cleared my throat. "She did, did she?"

"Yes," said Mr. Lewis. "She did."

I wasn't all that sure what to say to that. "I don't know what your view on that whole situation is, but. . . that's not what's important. What's important is that she's missing and we need to find her as soon as possible. You know that we're reliable people- we've saved the world several times and finding one little Senshi shouldn't be all that difficult."

Mr. Lewis nodded. "All right. Just bring her home safe and sound, you hear me?"

I nodded. I looked outside. How could I help find Sara? She and I were linked by our armors and the whole Chosen Mate thing. All of Anubis' ideas were good, but I had a funny feeling SOMEONE was testing me. Toying with me to see just how powerful the Child of Destiny really was. I needed to figure out how I was going to find her.

I closed my eyes, thinking over the past few days events. To my knowledge, my powers as the Child of Destiny were purely offensive and destructive- if I could do anything I'd have to ask Anubis. Well, what else was there? Termini was dead, and I didn't think he'd bother trying to help me even if he WAS alive.

My eyes widened. The Jewel of Hope. . .

I made a bee line for Mike's house.

Three near car hits and one bike crash later, I was in front of Mike's house. I bolted inside, where Kento was leaning over his crystal ball. He looked briefly up at me, then shook his head miserably. "Sorry bud, my crystal ball is playing games with me today. It's showing me- hey! How'd I get such a perverse crystal ball!" he said, shaking his fist at it. He then proceeded to yell at it in Chinese. I recognized some of the words as words that had earned Kento soap in his mouth or a verbal beating from his parents.

I saw Sue Lee was sitting on the steps, hugging her knees. I just about ran over to her. She looked up at me, a small pout on her face as her eyes grew large and watery. She sniffled. "I'm worried about Sara. Is, is she gonna be all right, Cye? You're gonna save her, aren't you?"

I nodded slowly. "Do you still have that Jewel of Hope that Sara made?"

Sue Lee's eyes widened. "Yeah! It's up in my room with Dash!"

"Dash?" I asked. "Who's Dash?"

"The Gruff," she said. "He runs really fast, even if he DOES only have two legs!"

I rolled my eyes. _Dash, huh? I guess it's better than nothing at all,_ I silently mused. I followed Sue Lee up the stairs and through a white door into a room done over in a bright mixture of purples. The Gruff was sitting in a dark purple mat by a purple and white polka dot bed spread. It looked up at me and yipped, bounding over to give me a good morning kiss.

"Not now, Dash!" I said, seeing if he would respond to the name. Luckily, he did, and he backed down, looking behind me, his head looking from left to right. _He's looking for Sara- hey! There's an idea!_ "Sara's not here right now," I informed the creature. He looked at me, one ear dropping as the other stood at full length. I bit my lip, seeing that the drooping ear had the top third or so bitten off, the upright ear having a bite taken out of it as well.

Sue Lee poked me in the arm and dropped the new talisman into my hand. "Here you go, Cye. Do you think it'll help find Sara?" she asked. I nodded. "But, how are you gonna do it? Sara's the only one who made it work before, remember? It, it used to hurt you. What if it does it again?"

"It won't, Sue Lee," I said. "Sara purified it, remember?"  
"Right," she said.

I looked at Dash, and smiled. "May I borrow Dash?"

"Sure, go right ahead," said Sue Lee. "Just bring her home safe and sound!"

I nodded and turned to the Gruff. "All right, boy, we're going to head outside into the backyard. I'm going to see if I can sense Sara through our armor link and you're going to help me get to her. Sound good to you?" The Gruff nodded, holding a paw up. I carefully took it, minding its rather large claws. "We can find her. I know we can. All right?"

Dash nodded in response, adding in a yip for good measure.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Chapter Fourteen: Found At Last

(Sara)

"Where am I?" I wondered aloud. I wrapped my blanket more tightly around me, looking around. Wherever I was, I most certainly wasn't in my bedroom. In fact, I wasn't even in my house. Sure, I had my bedding and my mattress, but. . . where was my bed? My room? My house? THE ENTIRE CITY OF BOSTON!

I was in a very remote clearing surrounded by trees with a blue sky above me. I smiled slightly. "Well, at the very least I know I'm probably not in the Dynasty- this is the Mortal Realm's coloring," I mused to myself. "But where in the Mortal Realm am I and why am I here?"

I stayed put. No use getting myself even more lost than I already was. Besides, if the Dynasty was behind it, then for sure Cye and the others would come for me, right? Cye wouldn't let me down now that he knew our tie to each other, right? I gulped, blinking at my surroundings.

I padded around my bedding, wondering if my armor orbe was anywhere in them. After a thorough shaking of my blanket, my pillowcase, and my other sheets, I saw no little blue marble. _But wouldn't you have sensed it if it was near by, Sara? That was a waste of time- it's not here,_ I thought to myself. _Great, I have no clue where I am and I'm unarmed. How much better can this get?_

I heard a growl in the distance. I turned my head to see some bushes moving. I stayed where I was, never taking my eyes off of the bush. What was it? What was coming after me now? Hadn't I been through enough already? My bottom lip trembled. No. If something attacked me, I'd be killed- my fighting skills weren't very good without my armor orbe at least in the vicinity.

A gray muzzle came from the bushes, followed by several more. _Wolves_, I thought to myself. _Wolves aren't so bad, right?_ I sat still. Perhaps they'd leave me alone if I didn't do anything? I held my breath, hoping that the wild dogs would just turn and leave. Then a thought crossed my mind. _Do wolves live in this part of Massachusetts? And, more importantly, do they grow that. . . tall?_

I was very disheartened to learn that the muzzle did not belong to a wolf. Not even a coyote. No. The gray muzzle belonged to none other than a tall, two legged dog with red eyes, a long, bladed tail, and a giant, squishy butt. This creature was a very large, very mean looking Gruff. And it was definitely not the one we'd befriended.

I froze. "Oh no," I managed to stutter. I couldn't fend off a Gruff by myself without my army! I was a sitting duck. I sniffled. _All this and now I'm dying alone, here? How did this happen? Wait- this must be a dream! I'm having a nightmare! That guy tried to rape me- yes, yes, this is some sort of a weird psychological trigger that he switched on and I just have to suck it up and wait for myself to wake up!_

The Gruff started to advance on me. Not sure if I really was dreaming, I reached over to pinch myself. I winced- it hurt, meaning it was officially NOT a dream. I wrapped my blanket around me, staring at the creature in fright. It growled, them licked its chops. I turned away, waiting for the end.

I heard a snarling yip and then a thump. I lifted my head to see another Gruff landed on the previous one, growling and snarling at it. I blinked, surprised. When they moved, I caught glimpse of a familiar scar on one of them. I brightened. Yes! Our Gruff had come to save me!

"Sara!"

I looked over to see Cye running towards me, eventually diving onto me, smoothing me in a hug. "Dear God, Sara, how on Earth did you end up here! Your mother was frantic this morning when she found you missing and everyone's gone absolutely insane trying to find you!"

"Cye, the Gruff!" I said. Cye looked up and saw the two creatures still wrestling on the ground. He stood up and raised a hand in the air. A blue glow surrounded his hand, eventually elongating into his dagger. He held it at the ready, watching the two creatures wrestle before him. "Cye, what are you doing?"

"Killing that other Gruff," he said. "Dash, out of the way!"

I wondered what a Dash was when I saw our Gruff jump out of the way. The other Gruff turned its attention to Cye, turning all of its anger on his. My partner in arms began to wave the knife back and fourth, the Gruff watching the blade's every move. "Come on, you want a piece of me? Come and get it!" he said. With Cye's taunting and teasing, the Gruff lunged at him, getting a surprised yelp from Cye.

I screamed. The Gruff was growling and snapping at Cye, aiming for his throat. Cye slashed at it, drawing crimson red blood from the creature. Neither could make a death blow to the other, no matter how weak the other got. I watched in fear. That Gruff intended to kill him. _Cye!_

Another growl, this one from our Gruff. In one swift move, it knocked itself into the other Gruff, sending it off of Cye. I got up and got to him as quick as I could, looking over his wounds. He looked up at me, a smile on his face. He wasn't hurt badly, only a few scratches adorning his frame. "Oh, Cye. . . you shouldn't have done that."

"Yes I did," he said. "I won't let anything happen to you." The two of us heard a sickening whimper and snap. The two of us looked over to see our Gruff had bitten down on the back of the other Gruff's neck and wrenched it to the side, successfully breaking its neck. He looked at his kill solemnly, then looked over at us, yipped happily, and bounded over to us, lollling his tongue and waiting for his praise or punishment.

Cye smiled. "Good boy, Dash," he said.

I looked up. "So, that's your name, huh?" I said. Dash nodded, yipping for good measure.

"There you two are! We were worried about ya, mates!"

I looked over to see Sam squatting on a tree branch. She leapt down. "You two all right?"

"I'll live," said Cye, trying to sit himself up. He looked over at me. "But, Sara, how did you get here in the first place? And with all of your beddings and your bloody mattress?" He looked at my mess of beddings and shook his head. "My father had better have some sort of an idea for this one, and I'm sure it'll be a good one, too."

"I'll say," said Sam, looking over. She turned to me. "And it wasn't the Dynasty that did this?" I shrugged. "You don't have any idea how you ended up here, do you, Sara?" I nodded. "Oh boy- I have got to head the answer to this one. You're right, Cye- the answer to this question WILL be interesting."

The rustling of leaves announced the arrival of Sage and Ella. "Is everybody all right?" asked Sage. We all nodded. "Sara? How did you get here?" I sighed and gave him the same answer I'd given Sam and Cye- I had no idea how I got to that stupid clearing or even WHY.

"Now, what do we do with this thing?" asked Ella, pointing at the now very dead Gruff.

"Um, good question?" Cye offered.

"Ah, I see," said Anubis. With help from Sam, Sage, and Ella, the lot of us were able to clean up the clearing. Ella used her powers to disintegrate the dead Gruff's body while Sage and Sam were somehow able to get my mattress and what not back to my house without anyone seeing them to ask any questions. Cye escorted me home so I could get dressed, then brought me to Mike's house, where everyone else was waiting. Anubis had used the Staff to try and see if my getting to the clearing was something through my own powers.

"Did Sara do it?" asked Keisha.

Anubis nodded. "Yes. She can teleport," he said, chuckling to himself. "Poor kid must have teleported in her sleep." He shook his head and patted my head. "We're going to have to figure out how to control that power of yours- learning to use teleportation by artificial means is one thing, but having the ability naturally is much more unstable."

"You mean like how I have to really concentrate to use my shape-shifting powers," said Kento. "Or like how Sage doesn't just suddenly disappear off the face of the Earth unannounced. Because it's artificial, it's more controlled. Where you're saying that Sara has this power naturally, it's more off the hook."

"Thank you for repeating what Anubis just said," Rona quipped. Kento growled, unable to find a come-back for the Latin Senshi's comment. Rona giggled, though the Warrior of Hardrock looked like he was planning some sort of revenge on the Senshi of the Wind, one that she'd remember for a while.

"How do we control the power?" asked Ria.

Anubis bit his bottom lip. "Give me a minute to figure that out and I'll give you an answer," he said. The rest of us groaned minus me- I was afraid I'd end up somewhere on accident again. What if I found myself a little further from home? Someplace like New York or Alaska? I shuddered at the thought and clung to Cye.

Finally, Anubis looked at Kento. "Kento, could you make a bracelet or a pendant or some sort of a jeweled item of some sort?" The male Hardrock nodded dumbly and stood up to head upstairs. I looked at Anubis questioningly. "I can infuse a controller into the jeweled item to control the teleportation until you get a better grip on it. That way we don't run into this morning's problem again."

"That's a pretty good idea," said Rona. "There are legends and myths about jewelry controlling or even activating super powers. A lot of them were about werewolves, but it's the same principle of using a magically charged item to control a wild power."

"Thank you for repeating what Anubis just said!" Kento said in a high pitched, mocking voice as he came downstairs. Keisha laughed while Rona fumed. The Chinese Ronin of Hardrock jumpe down the last few steps, holding up a small blue jewel sit in a silver pendant. He handed it to Anubis. "I had a few on hand."

Anubis nodded, then clasped his hands around it. He closed his eyes, furrowing his brow down. His hands glowed for a few minutes in a bright yellow hue, then stopped. He handed the small pendant to me. "Find a chain of some sort for it and don't take it off- this should prevent you from teleporting unannounced.

I nodded. "All right. I'll harass my mom for a chain later tonight," I said. "She'll cough one up unless she wants me to go on a free trip to Japan." I smiled. "Hey, maybe while I'm there I can say hi to Ryo and Rowen for you boys and tell them how you're all doing!"

Kento snorted. "They'll have heart attacks. Do it!"

"Kento!" Sage scolded.

"What?"


	16. Epilogue

A Tale of Two Torrents

By Dixxy

Epilogue

(Cye)

A few weeks passed since the incident with Termini and Sara's teleportation. Now that she was getting a hang of it, it wasn't abnormal for me to come home and find her sitting on the couch with a big smile on her face, waiting for my return to my apartment. Sometimes she nearly gave me a heart attack when I found her in the apartment, but ever since we found out about the whole Chosen Mate thing, I haven't been able to stay mad at her very long.

Oh, don't get me wrong- I'm pissed off at her quite infrequently and I know that she's let me have it a few times, but I think our armors are helping us get along better. Can they stop us from fighting on a daily basis? No. But they do help us kiss and make-up in the end (literally), which is a good thing.

Dash has since moved in with Sara's family. Anubis somehow taught him to shape-shift, so now if they have company or they take him out for a walk, he looks like your normal everyday husky instead of the somewhat badly scarred Nether Realm dog. He definitely sees Sara and I as his master and mistress, and takes any orders we give him very seriously. Sadly, some of Sara's orders for Dash involve eating her brother's underwear, but she seems to think Trevor deserves it.

Well. . . most of the time he does. . . I think.

Dash and Tiger Lily get along fairly well, I think. Sometimes they go off hunting together and once the two of them showed up on Ria's doorstop with a bench that HAD been bolted to the ground. She had to get help from both Kento and Sam to bring it back to its rightful place so she could weld it back into the ground.

Speaking of Kento, he came up with a "special" nickname for Dash: Sponge Ass Squash Butt. He and Sage must have been watching WAY too many cartoons (especially Sponge Bob Square Pants for obvious reasons) and came up with a song. Still, Dash seems to like the song (though how I'm not sure) and tries to bark along with anyone who sings.

Like he did at one of our last meetings at Mike's house.

"OH! Who lives in a Dynasty under the sea?" Kento sang.

"Sponge Ass Squash Butt!" Sage, Rona, and Sam all answered. Dash barked.

"All scruffy and grayish and vicious is he!"

"Sponge Ass Squash Butt!"

"If Dynasty nonsense be something you wish!"

"Sponge Ass Squash Butt!"

"Then put on an armor and beat up a bitch!"

"Sponge Ass Squash Butt!"

"Ready?"

"Sponge Ass Squash Butt! Sponge Ass Squash Butt! Sponge Ass Squash Butt! Sponge Ass. . . Squash Butt!" The quartet then proceeded to laugh hysterically as Dash threw back his head and howled. The rest of us looked at our comrades in disgust, wondering where they had come up with such an immature song.

Anubis walked in, shaking his head as he took a seat. "Cute," he said dryly.

"So what's the point of today's meeting?" asked Ria.

"Actually. . . I don't have one," said Anubis. "There's just so much information at my disposal, it's hard for me to guess what will be important and what won't be. There are no evil beings trying to take over the world right now and if there are we don't know what they are- I won't go into anything until something comes up."

"So why are we here?" asked Sage.

Anubis smiled. "I ordered pizzas. You kids deserve a break."

"Pizza!" Kento and Sam shouted in unison. As if on cue, the doorbell rang. "PIZZA!"

"Dash!" Sara hissed. Dash yipped and transformed into his more acceptable self, watching happily as the two hungry teenagers brought in the multiple boxes of pizza and Anubis paid the delivery man. With the grub on the coffee table, a horde of hungry teenagers attacked the cheese, sauce, and doughy goodness that is pizza. From there we all proceeded to talk and laugh about our normal lives- school, dating, sports, and our families.

If you looked in on the lot of us, you'd never guess that we'd gone through some of the stuff we'd gone through. You'd never expect Sage was one of the last, if not the last, survivor of a legendary race. You'd never look at Kento and think he was able to see into the future. You'd never look at me and think I was some sort of a legend in my own right. You'd never look at my father and guess he WAS my father OR the fact he was several hundred years older than the rest of us.

Once only one of the pizzas remained, Sage and Kento brought the box to the fridge while the rest of us continued whatever conversations we were engaged in. A few minutes after they returned, the "meeting" came to a close. While Sage and Kento stayed behind (they DID live at Mike's house), I found myself walking Sara down the road to bring her home.

Another result of us being promised to each other, I think, is that I'm finding myself in her company quite frequently. Knowing that the two of us now had only one possible person to choose from if we ever chose to marry, we had started a somewhat shaky relationship. Still, it got stronger as each day progressed, maybe through our armors or maybe even ourselves. If things between us didn't work out, we'd be forced to remain pretty much by ourselves unless we made up.

Which stunk big time.

"That was a nice break from the normal," said Sara.

"Yeah, my father can be a bit of a 'useless information Nazi' at times, can't he?" I said.

"Tell me about it. We had to deal with stuff that you three didn't have to deal with," said Sara. "He was the one who taught us to use our armors. And he went over some pretty darn obscure details at times. You know how he is, right? He's your dad, after all."

"I wouldn't call him a 'dad', really," I said. "It's such a personalized term, really, but I still don't know him that well. And his physical age makes it hard. That's why I call him Anubis just the rest of you- it's not from disrespect, just from not being very close with him yet."

"You'll get closer to him. That's why you live alone together, right?"

"Right, I guess," I said. "Maybe it'll happen someday. . ."

* * *

_Screaming._

_Energy._

_Pain._

_Tears._

_Then, bittersweet silence._

_I hung motionless in my tiny prison, tears still streaming from my eyes. "No. . . make it stop!"_

_"Cye, calm down!" I heard Sage's voice say from somewhere. "It'll be all right."_

_"Yeah, Ryo and Rowen will come for us- they haven't let us down yet," Kento reassured me._

_ "But it's been so long!" I said. "What if Talpa's captured them already? What, what if they're dead or something? Then we can't use the Inferno and there will be no one left to protect the Mortal Realm! We're stuck in here and you both know Talpa must have more up his sleeve!"_

_"CYE! Cool it," said Sage. "Panicking isn't going to help us."_

_"He's right," said Kento. "Even I have to admit that."_

_I sighed heavily. "I suppose you're both right, but. . . we're being tortured!"_

_"Gee, you just figured that out?" Kento snapped._

_"Kento, shut up, this is hard on all of us and getting crabby won't help any!" said Sage._

The sound of footsteps echoing in the distance told us our captor was coming. . .

_

* * *

_"NO! GO AWAY! TALPA, GET AWAY FROM-"

"Cye! Calm down! It's all right, you're home now!"

I blinked. No longer was I in Talpa's torture chambers. No. I was safe and sound in my own bed, Anubis hugging me tightly as he tried to comfort me. Tears were still streaming down my eyes from the disturbing dream, and I returned the embrace, looking to my father from comfort.

"It. . . it was awful. . ." I said.

"It's all right, Cye. It's over now. You're safe," Anubis returned.

"But the nightmares make it come back," I said.

"They're only dreams. Dreams can't hurt you, even in your case," said my father. He pulled away looking me over. "Come on. Let's get something to drink, all right? Having a glass of water always makes me feel better after a bad nightmare. Washes my fears away, so to speak."

I nodded dumbly, forcing my legs onto the carpet as I padded after my father through the dark apartment. "Thank you," I said. "Even after all this time, it's still so hard to live with. Knowing all that I've put my body through, and what Sage and Kento went through with me."

"I understand," he said. We were now in the kitchen, Anubis filling two glasses with water. He handed one to me and I followed him out into the living room, where the two of us sat down on the couch. "There are times that I have nightmares, too. When I began to question Talpa and he used the Nether Spirit's powers on me, it was very much like torture as well."

"Talpa tortured you? His most prized Warlord?" I asked.

"Yes, he did," said Anubis. His eyes were narrowed solemnly as he wandered into deep thought. "I was verging on treason, though." He looked at me, smiling. "Sometimes you remind me of myself, Cye. You look a little bit like your grandmother, you know. It's sad that you two can never meet, though- she would have adored you, I think."

I smiled weakly. Part of the weirdness involved with Anubis being my father is that his entire side of my extended family really couldn't get involved- any of the ones he knew were long dead and buried. At best I had a few very, very distant cousins, and they would be impossible to track down after so many hundreds of years of marriages, births, and deaths.

I curled up in the corner of the couch, feeling better as I placed the glass on the coffee table and hugged my knees. "What were they like?" I asked. Anubis looked at me in curiosity. "My other family. Your family. My grandparents, any aunts or uncles I had, cousins maybe? What were they like?"

Anubis closed his eyes. "I had two older brothers, Yamato and Kenji. They both cared little about me and spent most of their time in training. They never married- killed before either had a chance to. My father was a rich merchant and supplied the army with many of their weapons and forging materials, which is how my brothers and I enlisted. My mother was, in fact, one of the shogun's daughters, a present of sorts to the popular merchant that my father was." He smiled. "Real sweet woman, she was. Never wish to hurt a fly and was upset as all three of us enlisted into the army. Always told us all to be careful and, if we did kill anyone, to keep our honor."

"That's why you wouldn't kill Ryo when you had him and Rowen like sitting ducks."

"Exactly. I didn't keep honor for many, many deaths. Talpa's influence pushed my mother's influence out of my mind for a very long time, but her memory was able to work its way into my thoughts long enough to spare his life. Maybe even my own soul," he said. He sighed heavily. "My parents were brutally murdered by the opposing army shortly after my brothers were killed. That was why I originally began to gain so much power- I wanted to bring honor to their names and deaths, but I forgot about that with time and became more concerned with power. That was how Talpa seduced me." He looked at me. "Don't you EVER do anything like that. You hear me?"

I shook my head. "You know I'd never do that."

Anubis laughed, putting an arm around my shoulder. "Yes, I suppose you're right. You're not much of a fighter, but you can be deadly if someone angers you of hurts one of your friends. And your elemental magic skills are quite impressive, too- I think you handle that better than you do your sure kill. That, I must say, is something I didn't expect. It's hard to control the type of magic you weren't supposed to have. If they are ever freed from their brainwashing, ask one of the other former Dark Warlords- they'll tell you how awful I was with MY elemental magic." He laughed. "I couldn't do ANYTHING with my powers. I have no idea how the other three managed to handle their magic so well." My father looked down at me, a twinkle in his eyes. "You've done me proud, Cye."

I blushed. "Thank you."

He finished the last of his water and stood up. "All right, time for bed," he announced. He looked at me. "Will you be all right?" I nodded, brining my now drained glass into the kitchen to put it into the sink- I'd get it into the morning. My father placed his cup into the sink. "Good-night, Cye."

I smiled, turning to my father. "Good night. . . Dad."


End file.
